Persona 5: A Hero's Tale
by Wizbenorno
Summary: (Outdated) The Phantom Thieves are mysterious to the naked eye, but there are some mysteries even they overlook. It's up to one team to solve the mystery of the sudden changes of mentality. Well, they might not be the best ones out there, but will they be enough to save the world from the targets that the thieves have missed?
1. Chapter 1 (Hakaru): Where's the Justice?

**Warning:**

**This story will cover several adult themes like rape, trauma, and abuse just to name a few. If you don't like those themes, or if you are too young, then please don't continue!**

**I'll get into some major spoilers about the story of Persona 5 very early on, so if you haven't seen Persona 5 yet, make sure you do that first. Otherwise, you'll learn too much about the plot and spoil the original game!**

**This is also one very long story, and this is only the first chapter! so if you want you can grab some popcorn and a couple of bookmarks.**

This is Tokyo, Japan, a place that's just like any other city you'll find, just bigger. A place filled to the brim with buildings as high as the sky, modern-day cars driving down the highways and the sounds of subways that carry people from place to place. There's tons of skyscrapers around, and the sounds of some popular tunes blasted through the radio as the peaceful citizens of the city looked into the daylight of a bright future.

Here, there are adults who do their best to make sure their lives run smoothly. It's a pretty boring place in general as people just walk around in huge packs when necessary, but that's where I live now, I guess. I'm not complaining though; I'm certain that this is the place to be when someone wants to fit in or be even special to the world. Although, I never guessed it would be so overwhelming for me.

Upon closer examination, there's way more cars and people and everything than I thought. As if I needed even less elbow room for when I travel to school. I'm not entirely the best at keeping calm in a situation where it's unfamiliar. I'm going through withdrawal right now, but there's plenty of reasons why I shouldn't be scared. But when it comes to going to a new place for the rest of your life, let's just say it's right out of my comfort zone...

I took deep breaths and tried to keep my cool as I tried to take in the scenery. The old truck drove down a few blocks filled with streets filled with food and sights that started to calm myself down. I rolled down the window to smell that fresh city air, it smelled a lot like that new-car-smell, I sigh in relief as I know that this is way more manageable than the smell of a hot day with the cows all day long.

We parked near this big building that looked pretty dull and a bit underwhelming with its height. I'm certain that even though this building looks a bit run down, it's the closest we've got to the school so this place was the best option for us. We pretty much had to sell the entire farm so that we could even afford this place, and thanks to my dad, we all have money to spare on new furniture and stuff like that. My sister happily rushes out of the car as I shook a bit in our dirty little truck knowing that the city was a bit crowded compared to my last home. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I tried to stay calm as I kept looking at the exterior of the building, wondering what kind of strange things could be happening inside...

Out of the front seat came a man in a camo outfit and brown hair that he never bothers to comb; it's my dad. He's pretty much taking care of me and my sister as he takes his sweet time looking at the place. Placing his left hand on his head, he coughed a bit into his shoulder as he examined our new home. He is just as excited as I am, even if he's a bit slow on the uptake. By that, I mean he's trying to get excited, but even he doesn't feel sure that the city life is for him. He double-checked the address on his phone, and then he looked at the two of us as he said with an unenthusiastic frown: "Welp, we're here guys..."

Now here comes my sister, she's much younger and more optimistic than I am on a daily basis, but to me, she's more than just a regular sister. She is my personal security-blanket who mostly knows exactly what to do if something goes wrong. I'm just impressed that her mother managed to pass her knowledge down to her. Even though she may be smart, she's still a child at heart as she expressed her delight for moving. She wasn't exactly a fan of the farm-life, so moving to the city was her idea. Now that we're here she couldn't contain her inner-child: "Oh, yay! I can't wait to meet all sorts of new friends here!" She jumps up and down with glee as I slowly get out of the truck's front seat.

Yep, the guy with the hand-me-down T-shirt and the brown shaggy hair is me. I am not the bravest soul out there, but at least I'm not the worst out there. Believe me, moving to the city was exciting for me too, but I still can't help but feel sorry for myself as I faced my dad with a hint of despair in my voice. I looked down to the floor in fear that something might happen that will have dire consequences for my actions. I feared that whatever I did for myself would make things worse for others...

"Dad, do you really think everything will be okay from here on out?" I asked hesitantly while I placed my hand on my aching head. My dad walked toward me then put his hand on my shoulder and smiled confidently, a very neat looking smile coming from the guy who rarely ever smiles. It always felt a bit nice seeing a smile on someone's face, it builds up my confidence a bit and it makes me want to smile back.

"Well, you wanted to get away right? I'll introduce you to the school tomorrow. Let's get some shut-eye." He's right, so I nodded in response. He patted my back as he walked inside with his suitcase, my sister with her purple backpack and duffle bag, and me with my suitcase. We took the stairs up to where our apartment was on the second floor, but I felt a bit scared as I slowly climbed a bit higher trying my best not to look down, don't blame me if being on top of the playground equipment makes you woozy.

To think, I have to do this several times to carry the furniture inside, it made me shiver a little just thinking about it. But surprisingly, my dad grabs a metal chair from the back of the truck, the one we had used to milk the cows, and then he places it on the wooden balcony. He patted my back again while saying with a relaxed tone to his voice: "Take a break son, you've already been through enough..."

As my father and my sister proceeded to take our belongings inside, I just sat there on the balcony thinking of what my father said. Yes, I'm still a bit shivering from the height, but the cold feeling of the chair felt much more intimidating than usual.

I crouched into a little ball as I put my hands on my head. I can barely remember what happened before this. There was yelling, my friend went missing, it's... it's much too soon to remind myself of something painful that just happened to me...

The real reason we came to the big city was because I wanted to get away from the old Japanese farm. The incident happened a few weeks ago and I'm still not over it. I thought if I moved to a place like this, then I'll be able to start over, but the memory of that pain still exists. Just then, I thought an eternity passed when I noticed that the back of the truck was empty, and the inside was all ready...

"Big bro! Big Bro! You have to see what we did with the place!" My sister was a bit jumpy as she was excited to show me what was inside. I guess I must've forgotten how much time passed as I tried to overcome the pain of the past. I slowly and carefully got up from my chair as I looked inside. It looked pretty standard, there's enough space for us to walk in, and the bathroom is already set up. It wasn't much though, because the only things we brought were the coffee table and rug, the fridge and tables, the dresser, the bathroom necessities, and the beds.

You take one look at our beds and you can tell who goes where. The biggest bed belongs to my dad, with pillows without pillow cases, the smell of sweat after a long day, and all without any box springs to hold it up. My sister has the next biggest bed, she has pinked all over the thing, it smells like sweets she eats on top, and her pillowcases have unicorns, cowgirls, and fairies on it. Mine is just a plain old regular sized, perfectly made, bed with my sister telling me it smells like 'boy', like I'm supposed to know what that means.

"You guys did all of that by yourselves?" I looked around focusing on the stuff they did while knowing that my sister wasn't this strong before. " "Daddy taught me how to lift heavy things!" she happily stated as she moved the bed up and down by sitting on it. My dad shrugs as he walks onto his bed to rest from the lifting: "Yep. Must've been all that farm work we've been doing. Let's get ourselves comfortable before we take a look around the neighborhood."

So that's what we did, we started to fill the apartment with our scent as we watched our dad walk in and out over and over as he gathered some food as well as an HD TV for us to share. I was starting to calm down as my sister patted me on the head giving me a more comfortable reason to stay here. She wanted to come here more than anything, I wasn't going to let being a coward get in the way of that...

I helped my dad set up the electrical devices, the plumbing and then shared the knowledge with my sister. The more she knew, the more smart she'll get, and the more I can rely on her in case I screw up. Some idiots like me wouldn't want to make the same mistakes I did last time, and yet, I still wondered if a farm-boy like me, can even adapt to the cities of Tokyo. But when I took a look at the school from out the window, I don't think I'll have any trouble fitting in…

Shujin Academy. A pretty big building that smells like teenage sweat and the distant noises of the average homework assignment announcement. A place where young teens go to school, work hard with flying colors, and learn about the world around them. A little building where all matter of curiosity is cured by the books it has and the supporters who guide us to a brighter future. I was so excited seeing a brand-new school to go start fresh with, how foolish I was back then...

Now you may think its a regular school, a place where one gains knowledge through its many teachers and it's near endless supply of information, but the way I see it, it's a place filled to the plumb with trouble. There's bullying left and right, and corrupt human beings who boss weaklings around, all the while the police seem to ignore this kind of stuff. A school wouldn't normally have something this bad, but it does.

I should know, I moved near this place a few months ago when my dad wanted a new job as the janitor of this fine establishment. He only works at night for the entire night, he sleeps all day too while we're at school, so whenever he's not around, it's just me and my sister. We're kinda a pair of siblings, a lone twosome who does nothing but watch as our lives progress forward without stopping it. Regardless of my troubles, my sister and I have tons of fun by ourselves, although I always wished I had real friends to call my own. But when you've got someone who does nothing but interfere with their relationship, it kinda makes it harder...

All this time, ever since I moved to Aoyama-Itchome, the place closest to the academy, I wanted to get even with someone for a long time, not because of what he did to me, but because of what he does to everyone else. I have developed a sense of justice that never stops building up ever since I first learned the truth of that man. I just can't stop him on my own because I fear that the people will be further corrupted by my actions. In other words, I just don't want to get caught.

But where's the justice!? This psychotic jerk is running about making everyone else's lives more miserable, and there's nothing we can do to stop him unless you really want your life to end. It's people like him who always look down on others and call them pathetic and useless, and the only way to make it stop is to either impress them, which is extra hard by itself, or use force and sacrifice the only life you had.

For the longest time, I too became hostile towards that guy. And after everything I've been through up until then, I wished that this man would just stop being a damn jerk and fess up on all the crimes he did. And although I couldn't do anything, even though I felt useless, I wanted justice for everything he did to make people's lives suffer. I wanted someone to rise up and become a hero of our school without becoming a disgrace among men.

Even now, I still wish I could do anything to stop him, and if I can stop him, I would give him hell! I wanted to become someone even better than the man I am now. I wanted to become just like those super heroes I see on TV and save the world from all kinds of troubles. My name is Hakaru Yumasu, and this is the story on how I became someone more than a pathetic teenager.

Let's start at the moment when my family first moved to the big city, about a few months ago. Like I've stated before, it was my sister's idea, mostly because she likes big buildings, but it was also the perfect opportunity to escape the past and look to the future. I was personally looking forward to whatever this place has in store for me, regardless of the pain I felt back then, and I wasn't disappointed.

I made it to my school and it felt kinda weird walking into a new place like this. It had tons of grown teenagers twice my size ready to hit the gym and sweat their heads off, a bunch of girls glued to their phones, and of course a ton of kids getting picked on. Being the guy who's scared of lots of things, getting involved in trouble is definitely one of those things. I don't want to get involved, so I just turn around and walk away without anyone noticing. I'm sorry, I just couldn't bear to get caught up in that mess, even though this was what got me into this mess in the first place...

Anyways, I for one was just noticing the school bell ringing and the sounds of a hundred feet going from place to place. I'm pretty sure I was too caught up with the fact that I'm trying to be comfortable around all of these new people I've never met. I was also looking for my locker, which was 8-5-0. The locker was awfully close to a classroom I don't go to, but if I'm gonna be the new guy here, I got to make a first impression...

During my first day of school, everything was going pretty well for my first time here. I talked to a few people who didn't exactly want to hang out with me, waved hello to a couple of ladies, and then I introduced myself to the class. I wasn't sure what to say at first, but once I got to class, I nervously told everyone my name, and nothing else. As my dad once told me: Too much information can be used against you...

"Hello...? My name is Hakaru Yumasu, and I hope you all appreciate me for who I am on the inside." I said raising my hand up in the most awkward fashion possible. The teacher then reads where I'm going to sit in the very room filled with people trying to sit still and focus. She looks a bit pale as she looks at the very back row for some reason, but then she whispered something to me after looking back and forth in a panic...

"You'll be s-seated next to… *gulp* Jin'ichi Sumula… Whatever you do, don't do anything stupid in front of him... please..." she was begging me as clear as her tears as if she was a monster. I couldn't understand what's going on until I saw it for myself. I got this strange feeling just looking at the guy, he looks so tough, so rebel-like, I don't know where to start!

This was Jin'ichi Sumula, the toughest kid in the whole school. The other students and even the teacher just tried to ignore the guy in the leather jacket and the ripped jeans, without a dang belt even! I was just as surprised as the next guy when I first saw him for the first time, and once I started looking at something cool, I couldn't stop myself from getting excited.

He had messed-up hair that has red spikes in the middle, he had those cool guy shades I see on TV, he smells like a man without his deodorant, his smirk was very devilish, and he completely broke the dress code for this place! He placed his shoelace-less shoes on his desk and his hands behind his head as he reclined on his own school chair.

This surprised me in more ways than one though, as I looked at everyone in the room. Nobody called him on account of his rude behavior, nobody made fun of me for getting paired with him, nobody even made a sound that sounded anything like an insult. They all just stared at me as they exchanged expressions that tell me: 'Don't mess with him!'

It was almost like everyone was afraid of the dude for some reason. Even though I was still a bit startled by the audience looking at me like they've seen what he's done, I couldn't see why he was so feared, he just looked extremely cool for me at the time. I saw him looking at a bunch of people whispering about something with a threatening gaze, which might've gotten them to stop, but all I saw from that gaze was a guy looking tough no matter what the circumstance. From the looks of things, I think this guy doesn't have any friends to worry about, unlike me who was still hung up by my past friends...

That's the guy I wanted to become back then, someone so cool and bad that he doesn't even care about the past. Now that the damage has been done to me since then, I assumed that if I could become a punk like him, I wouldn't have to worry about friends or anything like that. I would just be flat out cool with whatever life tried to hit me with. I sat next to him on his right as calmly as I could as Jin'ichi makes a smile at me.

That smile felt warm indeed, if not a little uncomfortable, but do you think people will judge me for hanging with a guy like him? I kept pondering this question to myself as I mainly focused on my school. This new stuff they have for me is a little advanced for me to handle, but I'd bet it'll be worth it if I'd get to hang out with this guy right here. He goes on to do a bit of his paperwork, those are the wrong answers, and then spits on the paper as he tosses it into the air.

Again, nobody wanted to notice that. Is this some sort of joke I'm not in on? These guys truly believe that he's the boss of this whole school, and even a bully I saw a while back was too scared to even be in the same room as him. By the look on that guy's face, I'd say Jin'ichi must've done something so horrifying to him that even he is scared of him. I'm starting to realize that this guy may be intimidating, but still, what else does Jin'ichi have in store for me...?

At lunchtime, I decided to eat the new cafeteria foods they're serving today, and I gotta say, this stuff tastes as good as it looks. I personally chose from a selection of vegetables and a few meats, and I'll get a soda from the vending machine later. On the way to the lunch tables, I noticed Jin'ichi eating a nice bag of t-bone steak with his bare hands at a table for one. There was not one table even remotely close to him that had people sitting at, which meant most folks would either eat on the floor or crammed together like sardines.

I guess that means more seats for me, I was about to approach one of the tables, but everyone was signaling me 'no' for some reason. This made me not just sorry, but a little concerned about Jin'ichi. There is a chance for me to actually talk to someone much cooler than me, but if he's as tough as the others say he is, then I'm pretty much dead. I didn't know what to do right there, so I walked over to a table that looks slightly less crowded. I then bumped into a bigger guy wearing the same school uniform I was but with long yellow hair and an unsettling height. He was even taller than I was, and that's saying something because I have a more average height.

He must've been from a higher grade, because I'm only in the tenth grade, and he doesn't look too happy about something. He looked at Jin'ichi with a ugly look on his face, and he yelled: "Jin'ichi!" as aggressive as possible. He started to frighten me by grinding his teeth, and twitching his fingers, but what really set the mood was some other kid wearing glasses grabbed the bigger kid's arm like he was scared to death on what's going to happen...

"No! Please Garu, you can't do this! Jin'ichi is insane, you can't beat him!" the kid cried as the big guy looked at the smaller kid with anger, which caused him to let go of the arm. "Stand aside Juni, this man has tormented my school long enough. I am tired of seeing you guys suffer because of him, I'll personality make sure he gets what he really is!"

Everyone stopped to watch Garu approach Jin'ichi with his fists shaking like he really wants to hurt him. May I remind you that this was all happening on the first day of school and I am getting disturbed by the way Jin'ichi just calmly addresses Garu. This was the first time I heard him speak, so he sounded happy-go-lucky and yet very rough around the edges…

"Hey Garu, long time no see. You're looking as strong as ever, you even managed to properly wash your clothes today, I'm impressed." He doesn't sound too bad, just a little cocky and carefree from what I could tell. Garu then grabs Jin'ichi by the shirt as he manages to lift him in the air while I began to shiver in fear. I wish I could help him, but then Garu will attack me too, so I just stood there, unable to take my eyes away from this situation...

"You... you have ruined this school! It used to be fun for us all, but then you had to assault a lady didn't you!? And it only got worse from there, no matter what we did to you, you just got back up! When you showed up at school after summer, you almost destroyed nearly everyone in this school! Why are you doing this, answer me!!" Garu was filled with an intense anger that everyone, aside from little old cowardly me, was astounded by. I was chewing on my fingernails for Jin'ichi's life as he was clearly on the receiving end of a one-sided smackdown!

Just then, he did something unexpected. He threw the T-bone in his hand that he got from the steak at Garu's face which caused him to let go of Jin'ichi. I felt relieved that Jin'ichi was okay and I almost cheered for him, but that didn't last long... I watched as Jin'ichi twitched his right eye and avoided the punches Garu threw at him. He grabbed the trash can that was near him and threw it at Garu.

Garu catches it, but Jin'ichi pushed the can and tipped Garu over as he stomped on the can hard while shouting in a rather violently angry tone that scared the dickens out of me: "Why? It's simple, you all blame me for something I didn't do, and the more you did it, the less I enjoyed it. Aren't you supposed to be protecting others!? Are you trying to save them from me!? They don't need your help, especially if you plan on picking up someone while they're eating their lunch!!!"

That phrase sounded completely unhinged and merciless, this was not what I had in mind for a cool guy to do! I paid some attention to what they were saying, and Gary mentioned something about him assaulting someone. He doesn't look like the kind of guy who would take down a woman, he didn't even smile at the ladies on the way to the lunchroom.

I think I even saw him pull on another lady's hair, but that was because she was about to text someone a message that could've really upset them. I didn't pay attention to the details of that message, but judging from her anger, I didn't want to know what to make of it. I think I finally understand how this Jin'ichi fellow works; he thashes against other bullies, and if anyone picked a fight with him? Say your prayers, because I don't think he's going to let go of this temper anytime soon…

Jin'ichi then constantly goes for the face as his feet pinned Garu' arms down. Garu tried to move, but every time he did led to a punch from Jin'ichi. Everyone watched in horror as they realized that Garu could've been the only one who could stop him, but when he failed, everyone's hopes got crushed as they all tried to look away. I was personally afraid of him now, he went from a nice and careless dude into a complete psychopath so quickly, that it's scary!

That's when I saw the principal and a couple of other teachers coming in to break up the fight. The principal looked kinda big and egg-shaped, but don't tell him I said that, but regardless he looked at Jin'ichi with worry, which disturbed everyone seeing as though this wasn't the reaction they were used to. I wasn't sure what to make of this situation until the principal said: "Jin'ichi, is this kid giving you trouble?" huh!? That's not what a principal should ask in a time like this, shouldn't he remind him that he has detention or something!?

"Yep. He picked the fight, and he picked poorly. That's thirty detentions so far, I will turn myself in this afternoon as usual, but it looks like I'll have company this time. isn't that right, ex-friend?" Jin'ichi said while looking at the wounded Garu with a smirk. Garu looked just as horrified as everyone else, he tried to fight him, but from the looks of things Jin'ichi is stronger than I thought! Everyone watched as Garu got taken to the school hospital while he shouted in the distance: "He's a monster!!"

Jin'ichi seems to have calmed down as he eats the rest of the steak that landed on the floor, that's disgusting, and announces cheerfully to everyone remaining in the room: "Don't worry about me, just continue eating your food and enjoy the rest of the school day. I'll be happy to sign autographs for those of you who actually care about me, then again who would care about me? I'm just nothing but a slug to you all am I right? Can slugs do what you just saw though? Maybe they could if they got people who pick on somebody who doesn't mean anything. Thank you, I'll be here all year!"

He just casually walks over to his lunch table without getting into much trouble, and everyone else goes about their day as awkwardly and frightened as possible. This made me feel a little scared of Jin'ichi, now knowing that he treats bullies and his former friends like that bug you'd see on a window. I had no idea that he would be this violent towards those who don't think he's cool, but if I'm being honest with myself, I'm actually beginning to like this guy. Even though I'm supposed to be afraid, he defended himself perfectly! All I got out of trouble was a black eye and loose fingernails. I couldn't help but wonder how'd he get so tough and aggressive in the first place, so I decided to keep an eye out for anything he does for the rest of my first day here...

So, as school was being let out, I followed him from a far distance to keep myself from getting in his way, because everyone who dared to get in his way was either shoved or pushed by the guy's leather fingerless gloves. Look at the way he moves, it's threatening and inspiring at the same time, it's a strange mixture of feelings I can't describe while I look at this guy. He doesn't need any friends, and I don't think he cares for friends, I wished I could be just like him. He looks so tough, so vicious, so rad that I can't stand it, but I was so focused on the punk that I didn't even see another guy walk straight into me.

We crashed into each other, and we both fell on the floor. I brushed some dirt off myself as I looked at the white shirt and black jeans he has. It's a turn-off from Jin'ichi, but that was until I saw his face and curly hair. I took a gander at him and I saw his smug chin looking at mine with a hint of anger and a surprised look on his face. I recognized that face anywhere, I rubbed my eyes to see if I was still snoozing in bed, I wasn't dreaming at all! If that isn't the symbol of excellence I didn't know what was! I stopped and stared at the guy as he was coming around.

His sudden debut in school made me double-check to see if I wasn't dreaming, but there he was, recovering from an accidental crash... "Huh? Oh my God! You're the world-famous athlete of the Olympics, Suguru Kamoshida! I'm so sorry, are you okay?" I pull him back up as he scratches his head as if he tried to understand what just happened.

"Hey, watch where you're going! Don't you know who I am?" He said a little ticked at me, but of course I knew him well enough to know he loves his title as a gold medalist, so I looked at the superstar with awe: "Hell yeah! You're none other than Suguru Kamoshida, an Olympic gold medalist! I saw it all on TV!"

"Huh?" Kamoshida took a bit to process what was going on, and then he said while pointing to himself with a smile: "Oh... yeah, right! I am indeed a world-famous athlete." I looked around cautiously to make sure he was okay and popped in a few questions for him. "Are you hurt anywhere bad? What the hell are you doing in our school anyway? Are you one of those special guests I see from time to time?" Kamoshida brushes off some dust of his own then expresses himself in his own prideful way…

"First, no I'm fine. I've felt way worse beforehand. Second, I actually run the volleyball team for your school." Kamoshida surprised me when he said that, he was the gym teacher of my own school!? I never felt so satisfied with school in my life! "Are you serious!? That's awesome!" I said with that dorky grin I was known for back at my old school. Kamoshida took that compliment like a frog eats a fly...

"It sure is, being here just makes me feel like I'm someone special, although, some people just don't appreciate my skills nowadays…" He muttered that last part under his breath, he was so happy to see a fan a second ago, and he just felt prideful in a way that even I couldn't understand. But the moment he muttered that, his smug expression turned a bit sour.

This confused me a bit as I asked him while I felt my hype slowly fading away: "Huh? What do you mean...?" Kamoshida then looked at his watch, it must've been time for his after school practices. His face lit up again as he said: "Oh, look at the time. It's time for me to shine, no hard feelings Yumasu." He patted my head as he walked past me, I'll never wash my head again, but that is unsanitary so I will.

He left for the gym class as I stare while my hype builds up again. I couldn't believe my eyes, the world-famous Kamoshida is actually a teacher in my school! What luck! There's an extreme punk who thrashes bullies and my favorite celebrity in the same school!? It's like a two for one honor that rarely anyone else can experience! I was beginning to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of coolness that Kamoshida was possibly going to display in the gym, I was also going to consider joining the volleyball team. I'll tell you this, maybe being a coward isn't exactly a bad thing when you've got stuff like this going on!

But just when I felt sure that my future was looking bright, I looked at me and saw a sight I didn't want to see so soon; Jin'ichi watched the whole thing and looked at me with a threatening gaze and he kept tapping his right foot with his arms crossed. I think he's mad that I'm not exactly paying that much attention to him. I'm not complaining, I just got to meet a real life celebrity! But, I've got a strange feeling that I'm not supposed to like him, because he looks ready to approach me. Okay Hakaru, remain calm, you can deal with this, just tell him what's going on and walk away, simple...

He walked up close to me and stared at me with his black eyes. I was beginning to sweat, what was he about to do to me? He spoke in a tone that sounded rather tough, but it almost sounds like he's covering his own real voice up by speaking in a way that sounds less threatening and more happy-go-lucky.

He snapped his fingers in front of my confused stance and said to me: "Hey newbie… are you even alive right now?" I immediately stopped staring into space to look at him square in the eyes and recover. I was still a bit embarrassed for having the toughest kid in school wake me up, so I wasn't very focused on him entirely. I pushed my fingers together as I tried to be nice to him...

"Huh? Oh, hi! Hey, uh 'Jin'ichi' was it? The 'monster in the halls'? Nice to meet you, I guess, my name is Hakaru Yumasu." Jin'ichi looks at me as hard as he could, and then shrugs as he gets a little more friendly towards me. "Hakaru? You new here? You don't seem to be a 'poor boy', alright I'll bite. What brings you here?"

"Um… it's complicated…" I rub my back a bit as I tried to bring the mood back up by talking about the superstar himself: "More importantly, did you see that? The world-famous Kamoshida is actually in my school! Isn't he just wonderful?" Just when I thought the mood was getting calmer, he raised his eyebrow as a sign that I've said something wrong...

"Hold on. You actually like that bitch?" I had no idea why he just called Kamoshida a bitch, but I answered honestly: "Uh, yeah? I went wild when he won for our country…" Wrong answer Hakaru, Jin'ichi suddenly changed his demeanor from calm to anger on a dime.

I was a bit startled by not just the quick shift, but also what he said from it: "Don't even think about liking him. He's nothing but a piece of filth. I don't know what he's planning to do with this sorry excuse of a school, but I know for a fact that he works his followers to death."

Wait, he does what to his followers!? No, I think this guy is trying to startle me or something, but damn did he sound pissed. "Huh? J-Jin'ichi, you can't be serious…" He was serious, but he mellows down a little, but not before shouting violently into the air like if Kamoshida did something very wrong to him…

"I get it. You just came here. I wouldn't expect a newbie like you to understand. But one day, I will get my revenge on you Kamoshida! I'll make you regret not putting me on the volleyball team! I hope you get punched in the face for something like that!!"

That phrase alone could've gotten him expelled! Does he even know what he's talking about!? With a small degree of anger, and the fact that I acted out of fear, I tried to tell him otherwise: "Hey! What did he ever do to you!? He's just a celebrity!" ...but I think I made things worse as he began to angrily state his point...

"Just a celebrity!? I think not! He didn't put me on the team because I was 'too annoying'! Does that sound like a celebrity to you!?" Because he was too annoying? That's completely out of his character! But still, his emotions felt genuine indeed, I felt a bit sorry for the dude.

"Well, not exactly... but that doesn't mean-" I was interrupted by Jin'ichi as he looked away from me with a face of distress: "Hell no, he is guilty of something! And one day soon, you'll know exactly why…"

He stormed into the detention room like he owns the place, although he does it in a manner that indicates he's still angry with me, and then he slammed the door behind him. At that moment, my mind was divided in thought, the man that sat next to me, and whom I thought was cooler than cool, just so happened to doubt Kamoshida and his superb techniques! I didn't know what I was supposed to think, although I have heard that punks like him are a bit of trouble if you let them...

But then again, he's the same guy who was violent enough to hurt those who give him trouble. I sure as hell didn't want to get mixed up in his affairs if it meant that I might die trying! My sister told me after school that it doesn't matter what's on the outside, it's more of what's on the inside that counts. I was still stumped on whose side should be taken, both present good opportunities, but only one can help me become someone better.

This thinking process took about 3 days, starting from my first day in the evening. As time flew by, my dad started online shopping using his laptop to see if he could get us more furniture to work with. My sister and I helped pick out some good stuff, but I'll take awhile to get here, so in the meantime I'm still divided in thought.

At school, Jin'ichi acts a bit ignorant around me, as if he doesn't want me around. Kamoshida on the other hand keeps presenting the opportunity to join, but I still can't decide between either of them. If I join the punk, then I might die, but if I join Kamoshida, I'll die of embarrassment. My sister made it easier for me to decide by telling me if I was either looking for trouble, or if trouble was looking for me.

I had no idea what that meant, but I think I'm supposed to go to the place that was the least troublesome. If trouble got me into this mess, then I won't bother looking for it. Sorry Jin'ichi, you're on your own, I just don't want to get wrapped up in your violent psychopathic ways, it's too dangerous for my mental health! On the third day at school, my choice was clear, I'm joining Kamoshida's clubs!

I was on my way to gym class because I finally worked up the nerve to ask Kamoshida if I could join the team. I took a deep breath and constantly thought to myself: "Sports aren't trouble, nothing can go wrong in volleyball...". I focused on just those thoughts as I almost walked inside before something unexpected happened! I completely jinxed myself! Just when I thought trouble couldn't find me, it caught me standing right in front of the gym door!

I heard a scream coming from inside the gym. I had no idea who that was, but feared it was directed at Kamoshida, the celebrity I was going to ask! Teachers were suddenly swarming the place like flies wondering what was going on. I had no idea what was going on until I overheard the commotion from the entrance to the gym, I was too afraid to see for myself. That's when I heard Kamoshida, he sounded like he was scared out of his mind for some reason.

He told them that he broke one of the classmate's legs out of self defense! There was another student trying to kill Kamoshida, as if he did something horribly wrong! I put two and two together and realized this couldn't have been a coincidence. Kamoshida must've told him, or done something to him that was so bad, the student would've attacked him. If I was right about this, it would appear that Kamoshida somehow provoked that guy and made him snap!

But it doesn't make any sense, why would he, of all people, provoke someone else into hurting him, and then seal the deal by breaking his leg!? He's supposed to be some sort of symbol of hope, but this whole situation doesn't feel right to me. A million questions swirled around my mind that day, but the main attraction in my mind was this: "Is Kamoshida really guilty as Jin'ichi said he was?"

I couldn't believe that Jin'ichi, the guy I wanted nothing from, was absolutely right about Kamoshida! No, wait, it's too soon to jump to conclusions! Don't panic Hakaru, you are a witness to a crime that nobody else knows about. This was terrible, just I thought I could escape from trouble, it finds its way back into my life! I shivered behind the wall, hoping no one would notice me, and I stayed there until the heat inside the gym died down.

After all of that, I saw the punk come out of the gym with a satisfied smile on his face. I don't know why he was smiling, I was clearly there when it happened, this was no time to smile! "Heh. Can you believe it, Hakaru? You should've seen it, it was awesome!" awesome...? He thought Kamoshida getting hurt was awesome!? "J-Jin'ichi, with all due respect, that was not awesome! He sounded very afraid of someone who tried to kill him!"

"I know, very satisfying indeed old pal! Meet me behind the school after my next detention, there I'll tell you who Kamoshida really is." He walks off satisfied as hell as I stood there confused. Why was he so satisfied with Kamoshida almost killed? More importantly, why was that kid trying to kill Kamoshida in the first place? It was at this moment that I realized that if I had to get to the bottom of this, I had to go see Jin'ichi. Trust me, it's not easy getting into trouble again after all this time, but I was scared to know if joining Kamoshida wasn't such a good idea after all. Trouble had indeed found me, and I intend to look for it again…

So after school, and after his 33rd detention, I met with Jin'ichi behind the school, and he was waiting holding a paper bag of food. He smiled and laughed as if I felt like a fool or something, and trust me, I did feel like a complete fool when he talked to me. "Hahahahahaha... I was right the whole time, wasn't I?" He said smiling with joy. I had no idea why he was smiling about something this personal, and it shows: "Um...what are you talking about?" I asked curiously, knowing that he might blow me away with his response.

"You saw it too right? The way that blonde just punched that pervert because of something he did?" Jin'ichi told me all kinds of suspicious things, but he never said he was a pervert! Still confused about the incident from earlier, I told him what I thought happened: "Uh...y-yeah. It felt like Kamoshida just up and insulted that poor guy." I just assumed that because that other guy screamed first. Jin'ichi shook his head as he lowered his shades.

"No, it didn't just look like it, it was exactly as you said." He told me with a serious look on his face. "Wait, what!?" Was my first reaction. There was no way that Kamoshida, one of the best of all Japan, would've just insulted that blond guy, right? I was proven wrong when Jin'ichi told me what he saw from below the bleachers...

"Kamoshida provoked one of the guys on the track team, I wasn't even paying attention to what they were talking about, but dang did he sound nasty. That guy he provoked back there was Ryuji Sakamoto. He's one of the guys who looked the smartest in my opinion, mostly due to being one of the lucky few who actually hate Kamoshida's guts. To be frank, I'm still fucking pissed at the damn Kamoshida since he also broke Ryuji's leg, disbanded the track team, and got him in trouble, but if I'm being honest with you…"

He then smiles brighter than he did before, like he knew exactly what that Ryuji fella was doing: "I've never felt this happy in forever. Someone finally got the opportunity to oppose him! When Ryuji punched Kamoshida at that moment, everyone just thinks that he did that for no reason. But the truth is, that's an excuse for pinning the blame on kids like me." he walks closer and does the cuckoo gesture with his right hand. I'm trying to process what's going on here as he kept explaining more about Ryuji and himself...

"I may be, y'know, a little nuts to you, but when I saw him get that close and personal with Kamoshida, AND attempt to knock his damn socks off, I've never felt more relieved that someone finally went and said it. Kamoshida was a menace to society, and Ryuji knew when everyone else didn't." He raised his fist with a courageous smile on his face, it was almost as if his happiness was even stronger than his anger at that moment...

"That's the kind of person I like the most. If they can see through a crooked celebrity's tricks, they can pretty much set an impression for those who have suffered. I would like to tell him exactly how I felt at that moment, but alas the world currently thinks I'm a piece of scum like that 'poor boy'." I think I understood what he was talking about, right until the last part, I didn't quite understand the phrase 'poor boy'.

"Um… I don't get it, what is a 'poor boy'?" I asked, Jin'ichi then facepalmed himself because he just noticed that I just came here a few days ago. "Oh. I keep forgetting you aren't used to me enough to know the lingo. A 'poor boy' is someone who can't protect themselves from rumors and false crimes. When Ryuji punched Kamoshida, and ended up losing his old team, he unwillingly became a 'poor boy' just like I did…"

Oh my... Jin'ichi was a guy ruined by rumors? I always thought he looked cool because he had the shades, but now that I know Kamoshida a bit better, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy. "But... I don't understand... Why did Kamoshida do that? He's supposed to be a celebrity, there's no way he could just pin the blame and get away with it!"

"Oh yeah? Harry, can I call you Harry?" Harry, he says? Well, I guess it's better than nothing. "Huh? Oh yeah, sure." I say with a hint of embarrassment in my tone. And then he started giving me a bigger insight as to why he's acting so cool and tough, the entire time I felt like I was going to cry, but I held in my tears like a man. A worried and cowardly man...

"Thanks. Harry, fame can corrupt one's spirit if not used properly. Kamoshida got cocky, and it looked to me that Ryuji was getting pushed to his absolute limit when his leg broke. Kamoshida was toying with him because his overconfidence is the key to his victory, nobody else can achieve that without stealing the spotlight, that's why he doesn't tolerate with anyone screwing up on his behalf."

"I know, because I've been with Kamoshida since day one. He looked okay at first, and I was all up for training with the pros. But the damn bastard said I was 'too annoying' to join the team, even when I didn't do anything! I tried several times to get him to notice me, but that's where I got the first of my many detentions. Then Kamoshida spread some dirty rumors about me doing various bad things to some girl, and just like that, I lost everything I loved about school."

"The teachers, my friends, and even my own mother believed those goddamn rumors. When that happened, I thought life had lost its meaning after my own life was permanently stained. But that's when I came up with a very stupid idea. My dad is a fixer, y'know, that kind of guy. He fixes any problems any machine in this city has, he's probably one of the best we've got. The school pays him regular amounts and so do his hundreds of other customers."

"So I convinced my dad to strike a deal with the school. He'll offer to work for free as long as they don't kick me out. If they did, then they would have to pay a thousand yen for everyday I went without being expelled. There's no telling the police either, otherwise he would stop working for the school entirely." He smiled after saying that, which meant that somebody knew what was going on.

"And you know what happened? Kamoshida took the deal for the school because he knew he might be able to break me by then. That's when I made my move after summer vacation. I literally became the bad boy everyone thought I was, maybe even a little worse than they thought. I lashed out against my old friends, like what you saw with my old pal Garu, I never changed my clothes once, and every chance I got I managed to slap Kamoshida while no one was looking."

"By then, Kamoshida was offering to let me join the volleyball team in a selfish attempt to make up for my crimes, but the damage was already done. I had become the literal scum everyone was talking about, and after about 20 days of my constant attitude, everyone and their mother wouldn't dare bring up my name or even tell me I'm in trouble. I mean, what's the point of telling me I'm in trouble if I'm already a troublemaker?"

"Nobody else can stop me from taking down those who have made others suffered, eventually the teachers feared that my destruction will turn the damn school into a personal punching bag, so in an act to cover it up, they decided to help me become invisible so that bullies and other kinds of sick people wouldn't have to put up with me all the time."

"When I started to become bad, I had my doubts at first, but when I saw a bully picking on a 'poor boy', I literally made him wish he was never born. I've managed to get myself in the detention room so many times that even when I wasn't in trouble, I let myself in, so I could hang with the teacher whose turn is it to babysit me. I also use this opportunity to chat with those who are unfortunate enough to share the room with me. For a long time, I managed to get a reputation so low that nobody even brings me up in a conversation. And for a good reason too."

"I wasn't even mentioned by anyone down the street or even in the news. Maybe even they are too scared of what I've become. Whenever someone asks why, I tell them it's all Kamoshida's fault. It makes me sound psychopathic sure, but it's true. Kamoshida wanted a monster, so I became one. My dad still believes in me though, he is taking advantage of my rudeness because he knows they'll kick me out at some point. He's just waiting for them to throw me out, so he can get paid big bucks."

"But that still doesn't mean I'm safe from studying as a whole. If I don't read at least 3 books before I sleep, he'll call off the deal. Other than that, he's pretty much okay with me. My dad's a nice guy, but my mother has been gone for a long time, I haven't seen her since she stopped believing in me. Who knows, she still might be thinking I'm a piece of scum. At that point, I wasn't even worth saving, and I didn't care about what happened to anyone else who agrees with that snob."

"But Ryuji, I don't know how, but when he gave Kamoshida a piece of his mind, it felt like he did it for everyone who hated that bastard. That man knew what was coming to him, unfortunately his lies delayed the inevitable. One day, it's all going to collapse on him..." He put his hand on my shoulder while I was still trying to process everything that was going on.

"So Harry, when life's got you down and you become a 'poor boy' don't be afraid to cause trouble. I mean, what's the point of reality if it treats you as an outcast? When life gives you a shove, you beat the crap out of it, it might not always work, but it did for me. I must be that lucky scratch card that was mistakenly thrown away. Eventually, the school will get stuck in a loophole, if they don't kick me out I'll be the monster who roams the school halls. If I do get the boot, the school might go bankrupt. And it's all thanks to the school for putting their trust with a nonsensical pervert."

That was horrible… he reminded me of my own hometown, and the way my friend ended up in a situation just like Jin'ichi. He tried to fight back, but life constantly fought a good fight and forced the poor kid to permanently become a misfit of society. I couldn't deny what he said anymore, having your life ruined by someone, or even a bunch of someones, is a fate worse than death. I faced him with a more serious expression on my face: "Okay... But, if you knew he was evil this whole time, why didn't you do anything?" Jin'ichi then sighs as he kicks a nearby soda can across the yard and then shakes his head.

"I couldn't. He's a celebrity, and he's guarded by literally everyone who likes him. As much as I would love to see him in pain, even with my current protection, I would surely be expelled too soon if I did something that stupid. If one were to at least attempt to knock him down, everyone will protect him as long as they think he's cool..."

"Once you hit the point of fame, you're technically invincible. Unless…" "Unless...?" "Unless the pressures of being a so-called 'celebrity' gets to that bogus star, and he confesses everything himself... Until then, we have to bide our time. Lie low like I do until the guy finally snaps."

I began to worry, if Kamoshida stayed here for an entire year so far, what does this mean for our school if he stays until the day it closes? I asked Jin'ichi: "How long will that take?", but the only problem is, he doesn't seem too confident on how soon we can get him out. But he still manages to crack a smile and support me in his own way…

"I'm not sure, but don't worry about signing up for any of his activities, you don't have to if you don't want to. In fact, I'll be your inside man. I always go to the gym to spy on that dirty bastard, so you can count on me if I find any sudden developments." I felt safe knowing that Jin'ichi's got my back, but I still had so many questions about Kamoshida's true nature: "Thanks for the warning. But why...?"

"You seemed like a nice kid when you were staring at me at the time, don't take it personally that I knew that you were scared of me at first. You just needed to know your left from your right, that's all. I was also going to save you from becoming a 'poor boy' yourself, because once you start something with Kamoshida, there's no turning back." Jin'ichi made a good point, and I do respect that he cares for people like me, but that wasn't the problem...

"Thanks, but that's not what I meant… Why is Kamoshida doing this? Did something happen to him a while back?" He just shrugged to that question: "I dunno, but many people speculate he was born that way. I find that hard to believe. I think fame just went to his head, and he lost it from there, who knows how desperate he is to keep his fame."

He then gave me the grocery bag from the local supermarket. It had a bunch of snack foods in it, it was like his way of saying: "Thanks for listening to my story." I smiled at him as a "Thanks for the gift", and he winked back while still keeping that happy-go-lucky smile of his...

"Oh well. Here, I always buy some groceries before school to give me something to snack on in between classes. I use the money I got from my allowance as a fixer, and just buy whatever surprises the school. My dad already knows about that fact, and he told me, 'It is your money after all.' which probably means I should save it. I'm pretty much giving this to you mostly because you were actually the first school-guy who actually cared about me in a long time, think of this as a way of saying 'Welcome to the anti-kamoshida club.' See you tomorrow Harry, I hope we get along well in the future."

And then he left as he rushed towards the station, I on the other hand was still standing there in shock. I couldn't believe my ears, I wanted to deny everything he said, but he sounded so truthful when he said all that stuff about the rising star. And the more I thought about it, the more ticked off I became. This completely contradicted my usual cowardly self, and it felt so empowering and angry, as far as I can remember, I never get like that! I never thought I'd get so steamed up about a mere celebrity, but I was wrong! A world-famous celebrity is actually a rotten egg? Unacceptable!

I definitely felt like I wanted to do something about this, because if I didn't do something, who would? But then I started thinking about the consequences if I did tell on Kamoshida. I would probably end up like Ryuji and Jin'ichi for something like that. But then again, if I do nothing, something terrible might happen to someone who doesn't deserve this! So for now, I bite my lip and whenever I heard anything remotely bad about that pervert, I would say to myself: "Where's the justice?"

That was a long time ago. Nowadays, there's still nothing big going on about Kamoshida. Jin'ichi keeps trying to find an opening to expose Kamoshida, mostly by studying how he acts by skipping classes most of the time. But I've got a feeling something terrible might happen if this whole thing goes unnoticed. Recently, he's been giving me the inside scoop of that overconfident celebrity behind the school as usual.

Apparently, Kamoshida now has a hot chick named Ann, that cute tall girl with the ponytails. It looks like the pervert side of him has finally come to light, it's too bad no one else thinks of him that way. Most of the news I've been getting is bad news, either for the school or it's students. I felt like ripping my heart out of my chest whenever that perv was around, but for Jin'ichi it was pretty much how he feels around literally anyone who once believed his rumors. I couldn't help but feel sorry since Kamoshida was the one who ruined him in the first place.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm still safe from Kamoshida and his wrath, in fact I've been mildly average this whole time. I've pretty much stayed on Kamoshida's good side by pretending to be nice and making up excuses not to do gym class. Doing that made me really feel sore because of this, but Kamoshida puts on his smile whenever someone compliments him, so I do that occasionally to see if it helps soften the blow during gym class. From what I've heard from Jin'ichi, it doesn't. It really doesn't help.

I pretty much had to endure the pain day after day, and wait for the right time to do something about it. One time, I had this weird dream where I was in some sort of jail cell, but I had no idea what else happened since I blacked out before I could process the image clearly. It was during a day when I felt scared of Kamoshida and his reign of terror, but naturally I just forgot about it and moved on.

Things were going pretty roughly, without any big changes, until the new guy showed up…

His name was Akria Kurusu, a student from another town just like I was. He wore the standard school uniform with circular glasses, some flat hair that puffs up a bit, and he seems very nice. But let me tell you this now, Akira was a 'poor boy' before the day even started. First off, he joined up in a different class than mine in the afternoon, which is pretty weird in on itself, and second, I heard a bunch of kids talk about how he raped a girl and punched a man's face and all that. That sounds ridiculous, do you honestly think a guy, with charming looks like his, could punch someone in the face?

Even Jin'ichi was worried that Akria was screwed this quickly, and we assumed it was Kamoshida's fault as per usual. So after school, and while I waited through one of Jin'ichi's detentions, I talked to Akira before he went home to see if I can lighten him up a bit. He looked a bit pale from the insults and finger pointing he was given, not to mention he feels a bit down about something, but I don't even know what that might be, so I began to talk to the guy.

I was a little nervous at first to speak to him, but eventually I got some words out of my mouth: "Um...excuse me…" Akira looks at me and spoke with a voice that sounded kinda smooth coming from a guy who was looked down upon by society: "Huh? Do I know you?"

I mustered up a couple more words before I made myself feel pity: "Um… n-no. My name is Hakaru Yumasu...! I'm sorry for the trouble you got into a while back… I feel your pain." Akira looks at me as if he knew what I was talking about: "So, you've heard the rumor about me 'snapping' at someone?"

I then remembered Jin'ichi, and how he got in trouble, his tortured soul as he was forced to watch Kamoshida get away with all kinds of shit, and all of a sudden, I felt completely different. I started to talk seriously with him all by myself without dying of embarrassment: "Don't worry, I'm no stranger to rumors. It's because of those said rumors that turned a nice guy like Jin'ichi into someone who doesn't give a damn!" Akira looked depressed as he recalled his old memories before he arrived here...

"I know, people won't stop getting off my back about this whole assault thing. I'm even forced to spend my days in a coffee shop, oh for crying out loud... At the time, I wasn't even sure how I ended up in this mess. I just wanted to help that lady, she was in trouble, but then…" He said with a pained look on his face. This reminded me of my past as well, and that's when I knew I had to cheer him up the best I can:

"Oh man, I can relate. An old friend of mine… recently decided I wasn't worth his time. But, maybe life in a coffee shop won't be so bad? Think about it, if you learn the basics on how to make coffee and stuff like that, then I'm sure you'll be popular! But, I never expected you to become a 'poor boy' so fast..." I spoke from the heart, something that has never happened to me unless I had a good reason. It's just too much seeing a guy like him become someone who was a misfit to the world, and I personally blamed Kamoshida for everything he's done to this place. But...

"Um... 'poor boy'?" Oh, shoot! I forgot Akira doesn't know Jin'ichi! I just got so used to defining people like that as 'poor boys' that I completely forgot that other people won't get the memo. Luckily, I managed to straighten myself up and talk to him a bit more about my dilemma:

"Sorry, it's a term that my friend Jin'ichi uses. It basically means one who has their life ruined by rumors and such. Speaking of, have you heard about Kamoshida? I swear that guy just gives me the creeps!" Akira somehow acted surprised from that statement, he must know what's going on too!

"Huh? Well you might say that. Call me crazy, but I think I believe you on that note…" "You do!?" I shouted a bit, but he managed to get a few other things out that rattled my bones: "Yeah, me and a friend of mine speculate that he's up to no good! He even ratted me out the second I set foot into the school."

"What!?" I think I acted a bit too strongly, now Akira feels uncomfortable talking to me. Goddamn it Hakaru, you always have to say the craziest things, don't you? "Um... I... should probably go home…"

I tried to crack a smile as I waved goodbye while telling him: "Oh, okay. See you soon. Have a nice day." He left now, and it looks like Kamoshida struck again, I look down as I knew that he would do something like that to a 'criminal' like him: "Oh well. That's another occasion where Kamoshida caused problems... I can't believe I looked up to that jerk, I just want to be a hero for once. That's all I ask!"

I bit my lip as usual, Kamoshida already ruined him, and he sounded depressed. Although, I'm glad I'm not alone with the Kamoshida hate club, because everyone else just doesn't seem to care what happens to anyone else but Kamoshida. It's almost as if he's like a walking and talking lion, a king of his own little jungle.

As I worried about Akira's safety, I went back to my 2-bedroom apartment near the school. We remodel a bunch since we got here, but it's a bit of a fixer upper; The huge beds are a bit messy from my sister jumping on them, and the TV remote already has stains on it. It may be a little run down, but it's surprisingly big for a regular apartment. There's a nice view of the school out the window, the coffee table on top of a huge rug, and a more decorative bathroom. I would've asked for more out of this old place, but it's all that my dad can afford with his current job.

Here we meet my sister, Junko Yumasu. You would've loved to meet her as a child, because her good looks are apparently a one way ticket to lovers town. She dyes her hair ruby red, her fingernails look polished, and she's wearing only the best fashion trends for herself, AKA little girl outfits I don't understand. My sister looked at me with a twinkle in her little purple eyes, mostly because she's used to me being fashionably late by now.

"Oh! Big brother you're home!" She was excited to see me, so I guess I should at least try to be happy right now, I cracked a small smile in response: "Hey sis. Did dad leave already?" "Dinner is on the counter." She watched as I moved my body to the kitchen, grabbed the meal from the stove, and then sat down at the kitchen table. The kitchen is full of pretty useful things like a sink and a fridge, there's also a pantry where my sister gets pudding, and even some nice looking coasters handcrafted by my sister. I picked the one with a kite on it while she gets the pink one with too much glitter.

You see, my sister goes to a 2nd grade school somewhere besides Shujin, but she usually lets a friend walk her to her school since my dad needs his sleep for the night. Like I've stated before, she's pretty cute, but pretty much chick bait for other rotten adults. Thankfully her friend carries a rape alarm with her, and my dad is pretty protective of his daughter. One time before we moved, a bully kicked some sand in her face, she told dad all about that, and he made sure that bully didn't come to school the following week. I had no idea what he did, but I doubt it'll be enough to stop Kamoshida.

Our dad eats 3 square meals a day, once when he wakes up, another during lunch break, and one more when he comes home after our bedtime. In related news, he usually makes us dinner before he leaves for his job, and Junko is almost always the first one here. As we ate some steak on the table in the kitchen, I expressed my dilemma to my sister.

Why do I explain things to her you may ask? She's pretty much the only other person I can trust to pour my heart out, and I pretty much take life advice from her on a daily basis. One time, I told her about Ryuji's situation, and she claimed that someone framed him for a crime Ryuji didn't do. I have no idea where she gets this stuff, but she's all I really got to ask for some help whenever I'm not at school.

"Still couldn't kick Kamoshida's butt?" She asks with a hint of concern. She just had to bring him up during a peaceful dinner, so now I'm starting to stress out! "No... it's been way too long, man! That damn medalist is abusing his rank and rubbing it in our faces! And if I'm not mistaken, the new guy instantly became a misfit of society just like Ryuji, Ann, and even Jin'ichi." I was hesitant to eat because you can't eat when you're worried. Junko stopped eating for a moment to ask me: "Have you done anything to help?"

I haven't. Despite the obvious threat, I didn't do anything against Kamoshida the whole time, so... "No, I'm too scared of the consequences. I've never felt this useless since…" That's when I accidentally remember the past, and boy does it hurt when used at the wrong time! Whenever I felt useless from then on, I wanted to cry my heart out because there was nothing for me to do to help others, but my sister coughed to get my attention:

"Big bro, do you know why we moved to this city?" Uh oh, I know the answer to this one, so I said completely unamused: "Because you said so?" "Yes!" After saying that, she suddenly switches expressions from happy to encouraging, she's clearly got more to say about this...

"But it's also to make you happy with a new life of your own. One of these days big bro, there will come a time when you have to protect me all by yourself. And standing around watching isn't one of those ways to help! I believe in you big brother, you'll need courage in order to stand up against the evils of Kamoshida and his evil henchmen!" She spoke so confidently, it inspired me a little, but then I felt awkward because she talked about Kamoshida having henchmen or something.

"He's not that evil… I don't think..." After bringing that up, Junko kept trying to inspire me: "I know! But one of these days bro, you'll find yourself backed up against a corner, and what will you do when that happens?" it certainly worked. I feel more confident in my abilities than ever, just because I can't do anything, doesn't mean I'm nothing...

"... I'll fight. There's no way I am going to keep my hopes down, I just wish that Kamoshida gets what he deserves! And that's coming from a fan who just blew it's last wind on him!" I said as I dramatically stand-up for myself. My sister cheered as my serious expression loosened up and it smiled back at her.

See? She might not be the best advice giver out there, but it's what I have. It's no surprise seeing her use her mother's knowledge even at a young age. Realizing that she might not stick around if I don't say anything, because we just finished eating and she wants to watch TV, I changed the subject to keep her interested, while still thinking about Kamoshida...

"So, how was your day at school?" I asked calmly while sitting back down. She apparently had been waiting for this moment as she stood up and said in a rush: "Well, I baked a cake in the oven, I shared lunch with Takeyoshi, and then I learned how to take away numbers!" I feel so proud and yet so sorry for asking a child like her the obvious question. "... Okay!"

I then talked to that picture I had of Kamoshida on my dresser, near the bed on the right, winning the gold medal. He thinks he's so smart looking at the camera with a smug face like that, but I'll show him a thing or two someday!

"Kamoshida. I hope you love your life, but don't get used to it. Because if I can find anyone who can truly beat you, I'll tell them to make your punishment severe! No, even more than that, I want you to suffer!!" I then pushed the picture over as Junko rolls her eyes smiling and then yawns: "That's my brother. *yawn* Let's go to bed, I'm pooped..."

And just like that, I began to expect great things in the future. I went to bed knowing that things will start to change for the better and prayed that Jin'ichi and I will get the satisfaction of Kamoshida packing his bags… and then everything went to hell. Things took an even further nosedive ever since Akira showed up. And it's not even his fault, I mean what's wrong with this school!?

First, Kamoshida's volleyball match took place and one of the balls spiked a totally unprepared kid. His name was Mishima as far as I could tell. Jin'ichi didn't call him a 'poor boy' this time, he was rather more of a pathetic child. And I didn't want to hear that coming from a guy who usually respects those who had rumors about them, this definitely worried the heck me. Thankfully, he doesn't pick on anyone who was already being picked on, which makes sense seeing as though most of the people Jin'ichi lashed out against were bullies.

What came next was much worse, Jin'ichi talked to me in the usual spot, it was then that he dyed the middle part of his hair yellow in honor of Ryuji: "Harry, we've got trouble…" He sounded a bit worried about something, which doesn't sound good coming from a tough guy like him. "W-What's wrong?" I asked while being a little nervous about what he'll say. "Remember that black ponytailed girl you liked?" Um… I forgot to mention, sometime in the month of March, I found this girl named Shiho. She seemed depressed when I found her, but at least she was okay.

I couldn't get a nice gentle girl like her out of my head even though I'm usually avoidant of girls. But Shiho, I don't know how, but her presence felt very calming and reassuring. I've never actually felt that way in front of a girl since the day I lost interest in them all together. When the black ponytails came into Jin'ichi's usual set of bad news, I felt like something had gone wrong, and I meant very wrong!

"Y-You mean Shiho? What about her?" I asked hoping he would at least say that I loved her. "She's being forced to join the volleyball team, I got that from one of the not-so-innocent bystanders. If this goes unchecked, something wicked terrible might happen to her…" Okay, to be perfectly honest, I did not expect Kamoshida to get to her too! I almost screamed before Jin'ichi calmed me down placing his hand on my shoulder, I've pretty much grown used to it by now.

"Harry, if that bitch gets to your girl, then you'll be sorry, so make sure to look for her and warn her about Kamoshida before he ruins her virginity." You had me at 'Look for her', but you didn't need that last part, now I can't get it out of my head. "Yeah! I'll find her and tell her what a bitch Kamoshida really is… I'm sorry, did I curse?" My mom always told me not to curse, but my dad allows it. I guess I don't like cursing because it dishonors my mother's teachings, but Jin'ichi seemed embarrassed of my confident and yet cowardly attitude…

"Harry my boy, let's hope you know what to do." Jin'ichi says while being a little hopeful that I'll do the right thing, the only problem is, whenever I fall in love, it's not easy telling a lady something of emergency. She might think I'm stupid if she can't take me seriously, but I can't just do nothing, I have to do something! My mind was set, the next day was important as hell, I can't screw this up!

The next day, I spent every ounce of free-time I had on finding Shiho and trying to warn her about Kamoshida. I've checked everywhere, but every time I think I've found her, she just goes somewhere else. She's not in the same class as me and Jin'ichi, so we can't get her attention otherwise. I keep forgetting this school has multiple floors, so I checked them all while at least trying to focus on my studies.

Now you might be wondering why am I so dedicated to look for trouble? Let me tell you this now, after what happened to me, I wanted to help everyone else who needs help, but almost every time I try, I'm too scared to do it. I am, what you may call, a coward. One time I shrieked because there was a spider in the classroom, and a few hours later people made fun of me for it. But despite my cowardliness, I desperately hung on to hope as if it were a bucking bronco, I knew that Kamoshida was bad, but even I thought he wasn't that bad of a guy at the time.

I just hope that opinion sticks with me after I find out what's going on with Shiho. Jin'ichi kept his eyes out in the gym so I can't go in without attracting attention, and it allows the two of us to separately look for Shiho high and low. When I did find her, she just walked away from me hoping that she wouldn't have to explain her dilemma. I tried to get her attention, but unfortunately I forgot to go to the bathroom the entire day, so I made a break for the nearest toilet. By the time I got out, I couldn't find her, but Jin'ichi overheard what happened from inside the gym, so we gathered in our usual spot.

Jin'ichi felt completely shattered, as if he knew exactly what was going to happen to her, and I didn't want to know what might happen to a girl like her in the hands of that creep, but he told me anyway as he took off his shades: "Harry, Mishima told Shiho that Kamoshida wanted to see her. She's fucked." That was the worst outcome for an innocent girl, I didn't know why, but it felt so horrifying if you know what Kamoshida is capable of…

"B-But, there has to be another way, maybe Shiho just forgot her sneaker, do you think she forgot anything in the gym?" I said in desperation hoping to find a way to save her, but Jin'ichi shook his head in despair: "Nope. I watched the gym all day for her, she didn't forget anything." "But wasn't she in the gym when you said going in there was a bad idea?" "Harry, the only reason I couldn't let you come in during that time was because of Kamoshida. If he saw you warn Shiho at a time like that, you would've been abused too…"

Really? Well that was close, I guess I was a bit blinded by desperation. I would thank Jin'ichi for making me dodge a bullet, but seriously, Shiho needs help, and I wanted a way to help her! "Yeah… but I won't give up! Shiho needs our help, and assuming nothing stops me tomorrow, I'll even search the woman's bathroom for her!" That sounded completely stupid, but Jin'ichi still felt a bit of internal pain knowing that we might be too late…

"I sure hope you're right. But like I said; once you start something with Kamoshida, you can't go back…" Jin'ichi says as the school doors let out the last few kids of the day, one of them was Shiho… she still had that same black ponytail she had when we first met, but her cute face felt utterly destroyed. Her once adorable features were bruised all over as she expressed her despair…

I knew she might need help, so I ran towards her as fast as I could without startling her. This was my chance to tell her about Kamoshida's true nature, because what she felt was only half of what Kamoshida can do. So I told her, while ignoring my panicking state: "Shiho! Kamoshida is a rotten, abusive, overconfident, stinking, pervert!" You would never catch me saying that in front of a teacher, but they are still inside, so I doubt anyone else could've heard that.

That's when she spoke, in that familiar voice I knew back then, only it sounded more broken and miserable than ever. What she said next, completely shocked me, it made me freeze up knowing that I reminded her of him too soon: "I know." Those two words were all it took for me to get a shiver up my spine, she walked back home as I stood there completely unable to move in fear. Thanks to Jin'ichi, who snapped his fingers and brought me back, I recovered enough willpower to return home that day.

I was completely devastated knowing that Shiho was already abused by Kamoshida, nobody else couldn't have known that except by those around her. I really wanted to help her too, I really did, but when she tried to deny my help, hoping that she wouldn't drag me into her problems, what she didn't know was that I've been here long enough to know her pain. "Today was pretty horrible, will it get worse from here?" was the question of the day. Unbeknownst to Junko, the next day was the day things took a turn for the worse.

We were waiting for the teacher to come into class, seeing as though me and Jin'ichi arrived here early, as I discussed my dilemma with him: "I couldn't find her anywhere today, do you think see stayed home?" I asked Jin'ichi with caution as I sat down at my desk. "I don't think so Harry, I know Mishima is here, which he shouldn't be here, especially since he must've been taking the worst of it. But still, the nerve of that silver-tongued pervert, he isn't bound to the rules of gender respect like I do…" His feet get off the desk as he faces me directly. I've never seen Jin'ichi this distressed before, that look on his face just tells me that he wants to end this school's suffering…

"Yeah sure, I can be a little rough around even the ladies, but the most I do to one is pull their hair and flip the old bird at them, but only if they spell trouble. Kamoshida has no limits, he'll do pretty much anything to make sure everyone knows he's not to be messed with. No matter how innocent or evil they were, unfairness is Kamoshida's favorite word in the dictionary. I'm surprised you managed to convince Kamoshida to keep you out of gym class." Jin'ichi said astounded by my own power. I felt a little better, but not enough to get into more trouble, so I smiled just a little.

"Yeah… it turns out all Kamoshida wanted was people to respect him, but I guess in the process he had to step on a few people. I can't say I don't feel bad for him, because I still do, even after everything he's done..." Jin'ichi bit his lip when I spoke from the heart, even though he knows Kamoshida is a bad guy, even a guy like him knows that Kamoshida wasn't always evil: "Yeah… but still, this guy is a bitch, and there's nothing people like me can do about it. You certainly can't beat him on your own because you're too nice, too innocent, and most importantly, too scared of what's really going on."

"I know that…" I said in denial. Jin'ichi knows who I really am, a person who can't come to terms with the harshness of reality. My family still cares for me, but the city is a rough place, I'm just lucky enough to survive this long in the world. Anyways, we started class as usual, today was a review day, that's where they probably pile up on the homework for the day. I usually get my homework done during lunch and after dinner, and sometimes on Sundays.

But then, I heard a bunch of people getting worked up over something, but I didn't know what. Everyone rushed outside as Jin'ichi woke up from a nap yelling: "What the hell is going on!?" "It's coming from outside! Please tell me that everything is okay…" everything was not okay Hakaru. Me and Jin'ichi managed to push and shove to one of the front windows, and what we saw was too unbelievable for us to handle…

Remember when I said Kamoshida wasn't too bad at first? Well, anyone who thought Kamoshida was bad before, will think he's the worst once I reveal what happened next… There she was, Shiho was on top of the school roof, completely unaware of us looking at her. I remember myself screaming and telling her not to do what I thought she was going to do, Jin'ichi thought she was bluffing because he doesn't seem to care about her trying to scare him with a stunt like this. But this wasn't a stunt, this was real!

And then, without warning… she jumped. I thought she had died at that moment, I couldn't focus on anything but the exact spot she jumped. My vision started to get blurry as I forced myself to stay calm, it didn't last as long as I thought. I felt my eyelids close tight as I collapsed onto the floor and cried knowing that I was too late to help Shiho. I've been through rejection, the pain of the truth behind your favorite celebrity, but nothing could compare to the day I saw someone nearly die…

Jin'ichi managed to snap me out of it by shaking my body violently and out of desperation, but I was still trying to get back up. Jin'ichi felt angry at himself for letting me get this way, but from what I could understand, he's now angrier at Kamoshida than ever. A lady like her doesn't deserve to suffer, let alone get driven to suicide… but, Jin'ichi told me everything was alright.

Shiho just barely survived the fall and she was getting better by the minute. I was glad that she wasn't completely dead, but immediately after he said that, he overheard two random kids talking over my sadness: "Did you hear? Some kids named Akira, Mishima and Ryuji are about to be expelled…" "Yeah I know, what a bunch of losers!" This was a bad time to piss Jin'ichi off, I already knew that. It's one thing to say something bad is about to happen to someone they like, but to insult them immediately afterwards? You just bought yourself a ticket to death-vile, population: two stupid idiots…

I watched as Jin'ichi stormed over to the two kids looking like an enraged bull. One of the kids didn't even realize Jin'ichi was right behind him, and it made him leap a bit as he said: "Huh!? J-Jin'ichi!? I didn't know you were-" Jin'ichi interrupted him by smashing both of their bodies against the wall which caused me to close my eyes at this violence. All I could hear were Jin'ichi's angry screams and the stranger's desperate pleas for mercy…

"What the fucking hell did you say about Ryuji!?" "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't m-mea-" "Spill it!! What the fuck is going on what the Ryuji!?" "W-Well, M-Mr. K-Kamoshida said he'll expel three students in a few weeks." "Y-Yeah, A-Akira, M-Mishima, R-Ryuji…" Oh no. Kamoshida wouldn't. He knew that we would get upset if he did and he wants to do it anyway!? Nothing was fair about this at all! Akira was just trying to fit in, Mishima was just as foolish as I was, and Ryuji was Jin'ichi's inspiration…

Wait… Jin'ichi!? I couldn't process what was going on in time before he walked over and spoke to me with a tone that sounded way too angry to be in public: "Harry! Same place as usual! Don't be late!!" This is what he would usually say when he has something important to tell me, but now it sounded even more like the psychopath I remembered on my first day, it nearly gave me a heart attack! I nodded like crazy before I realized he was covered in blood.

I gasped as I looked at the place the other two boys were, they were unconscious with small chunks of blood splattered all over the wall. They were near death's door and it scared me into telling the school hospital about this. That's when I remembered that I heard Jin'ichi scream while he mercilessly beat up the two kids who dared to bring bad news about Ryuji, I must've drowned it out with my own thoughts as I've never seen Jin'ichi so violent before.

His last violent scream was during his battle with Garu, but now it just sounded primal, like something triggered inside of him that made him lose it, all while I was trying to hide my fear from everyone else for the rest of the day. Jin'ichi was cutting the rest of the classes as I brought my brain back up to speed with math problems and history. That made me calm enough to finally see Jin'ichi at the back of the school after school, although when I did, I kinda wish I didn't…

Jin'ichi was pacing behind the school waiting for me to show up. I'm right on time as usual, but he completely forgot to say hello as he talked behind my back: "That goddamn mother fucker…! I always knew this guy was a bitch, but he has now officially crossed the line!" He twitched his right eye like crazy as he tried to focus on me, and that startled me enough to ask him something...

"Whoa! A-Are you okay…?" He wasn't okay. He turned around and screamed even louder, and he was beginning to scare me... "Does it look like I'm fine to you!? Harry, that bastard really fucked up this time! The new kid, the abused kid, and even my man Ryuji, they're all going to be expelled for no fucking reason!!" I was shivering at the sight of his rage and at the same time I felt every ounce of pain Jin'ichi was feeling right now…

"Yeah… I heard. How could he do this to a bunch of innocent people? Shit! I still can't believe he would do something this stupid! I really wanted Akira to feel like someone special, not someone who has no way to fight back! Mishima, he had good intentions and all, but now he's completely helpless! And even… Ryuji, you and I really wanted him to be respected among the others... and I wasn't able to help any of them…"

I began to cry, all of this was too much for me and Jin'ichi to handle, and while he was twitching his eye, I began to tear up even more... "Why does this always happen to me!? Can't I just stay happy for one second without anyone ruining someone else's life!? All I wanted to do here was run away from the past, not to be forced to endure their suffering!"

I cried in defeat as Jin'ichi angrily felt that my worries were indirectly Kamoshida's fault: "I should've known that womanizer would go after Akira. He did assault a woman did he?" "No. He's a 'poor boy', just like you said. I... I just don't know what to do…" I responded with a frown on my face from what feels like a rough day...

That's when I screamed in tears as I expressed how useless I've truly become... "Isn't there anyone else out there, who hasn't fallen for Kamoshida's charm!?" Jin'ichi had the answer for that, he spit to the floor and grinded his teeth a little before I heard him say: "The only problem is, these people already know about all this nonsense." Jin'ichi said that like he learned something that he knew was unfair. I can't believe this, if they knew that Kamoshida was evil... "Then why don't they do anything about it!?" I questioned while struggling to keep myself calm. Jin'ichi shrugged again, this time he knew that something must be done about this, and while he watched me all teared up, he felt like he wanted to strangle Kamoshida for what he's done...

"I have no fucking clue, it must be one of the perks of being a celebrity and all. They covered up my crimes, so they can cover his crimes too. But I swear, this nonsense has gone on long enough…" He turns to the back of the school and screams violently with a tone so angry, that it made me cover my ears a bit…

"You've just made a big mistake messing with me Kamoshida!! You've got this whole damn school wrapped around your finger don't you!? If I hear one more rambunctious thing out of anyone who worships this psychotic sorry excuse of an athlete, I'll personally send anyone who does to hell, no matter who they are! Fuck this school! If you're taking away my star, I'll never forgive any of you assholes!!"

I was terrified, that quote alone was enough to make me stop crying and start shaking. Jin'ichi turned to me and I thought he was going to do something to me. He leaned towards me and said with a grieved look: "I'm heading back to the junkyard. Don't come looking for me Harry, I don't want you in on anything rash." He walked away as I wanted to help him even more than ever, but I was still confused on what he meant by that...

"Huh? What are you-" Jin'ichi interrupted me again, this time he walked closer to me again and placed both of his arms on my shoulders. They weren't like the buddy grab he had going before, he held me tight as he looked at me clear in the eye and started to yell at me to get the message in my brain. It worked but now I need some new ears...

"Let me say this clearly so even you could understand what's about to throw down... I've just about had it with this damn school! First he ruins me, then he ruins him, and then a fucking girl jumps, and now the school doesn't give a damn about any of this!? Of course, you know this means war!!!"

"Starting tomorrow, I'll throw everything I've got at this school, but I'll only spare the books I'll read to hold up my end of the bargain. Harry, for your safety, I want you to promise never to associate yourself with me until they kick me out, or the school burns trying." "What!? No! You're the closest thing I've ever had to a friend in a long time, I can't just forget about you!" I tried to convince him not to distance himself from me, because without him I'll be friendless again, but Jin'ichi still wanted to give Kamoshida a piece of his mind...

"Listen, I'm about to send everyone who claims to love Kamoshida to hell. As far as I'm concerned, everyone in this stinking place is stupid to think that this man actually 'won the Olympics' or some other bullshit!! I don't want you to interfere with anything I do, so promise me you'll stay the fuck away from me. If you even tell someone that I'm your friend, everyone will start ganging up on you, and you'll become a 'poor boy'."

"Believe me, that is one life you don't want to live my friend. Harry, this is for your own good. Unless you like being shoved around like a toy, never do anything with me again until we finally get that psychopath out." I couldn't believe I'm about to lose the one friend I had left, at least until Kamoshida gets out, that shouldn't take any longer at all, right...?

"Well… O-Okay. I guess I'll stay out of your grudge, but just until Kamoshida gets out..." I said with disbelief as Jin'ichi started to storm off on his own. "Good. Because the sooner they kick me out of this dump, the faster my dad could become a millionaire…"

And then he went home even more angry than I've ever seen him before. Right now, I was more worried about Jin'ichi than anything Kamoshida would do. The way he sounded was even angrier than when he fought Garu, and that's really something I didn't want to see coming from him. None of what happened today went unnoticed by the sandman. I tossed and turned all night long in bed, I had a nightmare about Shiho falling, I can't sleep properly unless I drink a hot cup of milk before bed, but even that won't soften the nightmares I'll have that night...

I was afraid to see what Jin'ichi was going to do tomorrow, considering he was completely pissed off at Kamoshida, and sure enough, he had already begun his rampage. I open the school doors and what do I find? I see all kinds of stains and blood all over the entrance hall, and I even saw a message on the already messy wall that said: "Ryuji". That's when I knew, at that very moment, that my once proud friend has been driven completely mad.

That's when I heard violent shouting and a seemingly innocent kid screaming. I made a mad dash to the scene of the crime and I saw Jin'ichi beating the living daylights out of a jerk who claimed that "They deserved what was coming". "Maybe you deserve this! You're just saying that bullshit because you think that's fucking true, but you're absolutely as wrong as someone who speaks complete bullshit!" Was one of the things I could hear him say.

Whenever he was around me, or was in school in general, he kept this brutal beatings to a minimum because that just lowers his reputation even more. But now he does it regardless of reputation, and now whoever even remotely likes Kamoshida will pay for it. This sudden change of character made me even more afraid of Jin'ichi than ever, and that's not even him the worst part!

Whenever a teacher tried to stop him, he violently beat them up too for 'defending Kamoshida's name'. That was a real teacher, we needed those to learn you know... When they threatened to kick him out, he didn't care. He told them that the deal was still on, and sure enough, the number had gotten so big, the school couldn't afford to pay it off completely without paying for the regular bills as well. I'm still quite astounded he's still got the deal rolling after so long, but this is getting way out of hand!

Every time he bumped into Kamoshida from then on, Jin'ichi just glared at him without saying a word. Sometimes, he almost punches the pervert, but he instead punches the wall next to him to show that he meant business. My friend Jin'ichi Sumula has taken a turn for the worst, and it's all thanks to that good-for-nothing Kamoshida! It's gotten so bad, that I wasn't able to talk to Jun'ichi before I got home like usual due to his extended detentions.

One time, in a different class than mine, I heard that he threw a chair at the teacher when they threatened to throw chalk at him. It was at that point that the entire school realized that they had created a monster. They tried to persuade Jin'ichi's father to call off the deal, but from what I've heard, he's not backing down no matter what. It's almost as if this guy wanted to see how far they would go to contain this man.

One time I went to school, and then everyone in the room just ran away from Jin'ichi as soon as he entered. I tried to talk to him, but he kept ignoring me, it's almost as if this man had a one track mind that never departs from its course. Meanwhile, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Mishima and a load of other 'poor boys' don't seem to have any trouble with my friend. In fact, I don't think they even knew he was here, mostly due to him actively avoiding them to avoid his chance at a first impression.

It had become clear that even I couldn't stop this from happening. All I did was soften the blow a bit. I stayed out of everything he did, and I did my best not to get mixed up in his affairs, despite my urge to help him out.

My sister cheers me up whenever I return home sad, she even offers to learn how to make muffins just to make me feel any better. But the pain never stops, seeing this once proud man descend into a psychopathic punk who does whatever he wants was the worst thing I ever had to endure in a long time. I thought this madness would never end, I thought school was about learning how to solve problems, not make them.

But of course, I had to stay an average kid, who doesn't know what to do, once again. I never felt this useless for so long, it was beginning to take a toll on me as well. I couldn't sleep properly, I drowned my sorrows in ice cream with my sister, I tell you, things were not right in my head after Shiho jumped.

The scariest thing about this whole thing isn't just Kamoshida anymore, it was the fact that I would've become just like Jin'ichi! When I heard that Akira and his friends were going to be expelled too soon, I secretly gritted my teeth, and I was tempted to go as far as killing Kamoshida, but thankfully I'm too innocent to do something this bad.

If I was in Jin'ichi's position, when his life was ruined by that jerk, I've probably would've done something similar to what he's doing now. But because of all the stress Kamoshida put on him, he's finally not going to hold back on anyone who doesn't love absolute freedom.

And just like that, my new friend never spoke to me, or even interacted in the slightest to me, for a long time. Although his life was clearly taking a turn for the worst, mine sure wasn't yet. Just a couple of doubts and questions, but other than that, I'm perfectly fine with my current position as an average student. But I still yearn for the day that someone or something will stop Kamoshida before he ends up dead when Ryuji finally gets out.

But what can I do? I haven't done anything useful in so long that I don't know what other choice do I have! Everything else that pervert did was just too painful to watch, I couldn't take any more of his fake smile and his smug grin, and there was nothing I could do without me telling myself no! It was hopeless to think I would actually stand up to Kamoshida, but if I can't do it on my own, and if Jin'ichi refuses to hit Kamoshida since that'll kick him out for sure, then who will do it?

Every single day from then on, I remained firm that someone will come and save us from this torture. But we're really cutting it close, there's about a couple days left until the boys get expelled and I really wished that someone would come to defeat Kamoshida and save the school, if not the world. But that was just me reading too many comics about superheroes, to be honest I wasn't really sure that anyone would stop him, he's just too popular! But then, just when I was about ready to permanently call it quits, seeing as though Kamoshida will never be erased from this damn place, something interesting caught my eye, as well as everyone else's eye...

On the bulletin board, nobody saw who did it, but someone placed a bunch of red cards that were all talking about Kamoshida. They all said the exact thing as everyone, including me, tried to figure out what this means. But I realized that maybe there is someone who hates Kamoshida like Jin'ichi does, my face lit up at that point because I knew there was going to be someone who could help us!

I had to tell Jin'ichi, but he keeps ignoring me in the daytime and he might even kill me if I annoy him enough. There has to be some other way I could get his attention, because he clearly seemed to ignore the bulletin board when I saw him pass by here. That's when I had an idea, there's only one place where he'd be stuck in the same room the whole time: detention. So I snatched one of the calling cards, put it in the pocket with the money for the vending machine, and I bided my time for what felt to be important.

Instead of heading home from school like everyone else, I had to make my way into the detention room and pull off a risky shot. Jin'ichi was snoring on purpose so it'll give the detention lady a hard time, and there's another kid in there with him who's completely scared of him. I don't want others to feel fear from him anymore, I just wanted to help him be his old reliable self again!

So I knocked on the door carefully three times then two times shortly after. This was a signal he'd give me if there was a situation where he and I were in different rooms. I then told him, with all my fears swallowed up: "Jin'ichi, same place as usual, something bad is about to happen to Kamoshida, don't be late." I sighed in relief hoping that he got the message, that took a lot of courage to get the words out and I didn't want to do that again. But when I saw him come behind the school, that's when I knew it was time to help. There was no way with this mentality that he was going to figure this out on his own, so I had to step up and show him the card myself… It's now or never Hakaru.

Jin'ichi wasn't looking too good, he hasn't changed his underwear ever since he declared war on the school, which, might I add, stinks like an unkept skunk. One side of his shades got broken, one of his eyes never stopped twitching, and he recently got into two different fights, which left him a bloody mess. As I prepared to explain the unbelievable to the broken man, I looked at his broken state for a moment and then I knew exactly what I had to do to cure him from this maddening state.

Jin'ichi sounded a bit more deranged as his voice felt a lot harsher than the last time he spoke to me: "Harry? Is this some kind of joke? Are you trying to get yourself connected with me again?" I smiled and replied in a comforting tone, despite the emotional pain: "Not this time old pal, take a look at this!"

I showed him the calling card which had some questionable handwriting and a spiffy logo, but he seems to have noticed that I didn't write this. He knows for a fact that I would never go up against Kamoshida on my own, let alone assemble enough people to help me with that. I'm too scared to make that many calling cards on my own, I freaked out over a spider damnit!

I'm over that now, and Jin'ichi already knows I'm too cowardly to write this stuff up. It even has cuss words on it, I'm not prone to using those in a message because I feel like I might insult someone. Anyways, Jin'ichi read aloud but in a voice that slowly was building up from dull and tired to cheerfully happy in the span of a few seconds, and that felt extremely satisfying coming from the same guy who threw a dang chair at the teacher...

"Let's see... 'Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust. We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students who can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.'!!! Ahahahahahahaha! I knew it!! I knew we weren't the only ones who hated Kamoshida!"

He laughed to himself a bit, and I was happy that he was happy, this was definitely something that felt like winning a medal, only much less important. But just to confirm that I had nothing to do with this: "Yep... and just so you know I didn't write this at all. It must've been someone in the shadows who really hates perverts." I was more than welcome to accept whatever these Phantom Thieves had in store for the world, and I think Jin'ichi's more than welcome too!

"Well mother of god, these so called 'Phantom Thieves' must know what they're doing! They even cursed at Kamoshida's name, had you done it, you'd be a 'poor boy' faster than you can say motherfucker!" "I just hope that these heroes find a way to make him spill the beans soon, day after tomorrow is when Akira, Mishima and Ryuji get kicked out." I said to him while being aware of the time they had left.

"Heh. I've really underestimated this school. If we wanted help to take down this guy's life, we should've asked permission from these thief guys sooner!" He said with a smile on his face, I studied the card a bit more than I examined the stuff written on it.

"I don't know. It appears that this card was recently made, meaning that these guys must be just beginning their heists. I honestly have no idea who's doing this but there's no better time for them now!" I was clearly happy for these mysterious strangers, but Jin'ichi was more concerned about the outer edges of the Thieves.

"They'd better not screw this up though, I can't stand another day with this creep! If they do mess up, then I would just make the man confess every last thing himself!" He says as his hands start wiggling and twitching and his body begins to shake as his smile began to look even more sinister, I didn't know he'd be this excited though...

"I've been waiting too damn long for someone like them! At long last, I can finally breathe again! He took the lives of hundreds of poor kids, he did all kinds of nonsense to keep his smug face, he even resorted to raping and abusing women because he loves them! And now, at this very moment, his time as a celebrity will finally end! We did it Harry, we lived long enough to find the heroes we've been looking for!" Okay, the way he's acting is starting to spook me a little, but I was still glad there are real heroes out there...

"Oh… uh… yeah! I'm just thankful that there's someone out there, willing to risk everything they have, to save this school! Isn't this exciting Jin'ichi…?"

And then he laughed, a laugh that contained all the rage from the days he was going to use it on. It sounded pretty wrong if you ask me, because I've never seen anyone go this crazy before. Well, except for that time some people were having something known as a "Psychotic Breakdown", but this wasn't a breakdown, it was him unleashing all of that anger he had before in the form of pure happiness. Happiness that he had never felt since the day Ryuji punched Kamoshida.

I wanted to feel happy for him, especially now that I've technically saved his life, but the way he's acting right now kinda freaks me out a little. So, out of respect and cowardliness, I told him I had to go back home. He did the same while laughing all the way, which kinda made him seem like a lunatic to some people. He managed to pause until he got back home, which fixed the problem.

I was, once again, concerned about Jin'ichi, because I've never seen him this happy before. It was either a smirk or two whenever I found him smiling, but the way he expressed his delight when he found out about the Phantom Thieves just kinda rubs me the wrong way. But still, I was relieved that there's someone out there who's finally starting to serve some swift justice for those who have suffered. And maybe, after this whole abusive cycle is over, I can maybe teach him to be a good person again. Not that I don't want him to be bad anymore, but the least I could do is try to keep his hopes up.

Truth to be told, I only got hyped because it's been that long since someone actually did something about Kamoshida. I wasn't entirely sure if they could pull off the heist in time, but sure enough, the next day neither me nor Jin'ichi saw Kamoshida at school. We took it as a sign that whatever the Phantom Thieves did to him was very harsh. Jin'ichi secretly hoped he died, I personally thought he caught a cold, but on the day of expulsion for the 3 teens, something crazy happened!

It was the school assembly, after that, we'd have a few days off from school, plenty of time to celebrate whatever we celebrated. But first we start with a boring awareness speech about the mental shutdowns and stuff like that, I personally don't know what the big deal about it is. It's just people dying by having their brains indirectly turned off, that definitely won't get me paranoid. Jin'ichi stood right next to me with a smile, and food, he knew something was going on, Akira and Ryuji are still here, so he knew something was up. And then, the unexpected happened.

Kamoshida, acting like a completely different person, came out of absolutely nowhere, and he confessed and apologized to all of his crimes! I couldn't believe my eyes, and my ears!! Kamoshida is finally exposed for the fraud he is and I absolutely enjoyed every second of it! While I kept it to myself until I was by myself in the bathroom, by then I did a goofy victory dance in one of the stalls, don't judge me, Jin'ichi took it like a kid who just found his long-lost dad. He managed to sneak in some popcorn, and yet nobody cared if he did, they were too focused on Kamoshida's confession.

After the school assembly was let out, I went out for Big Bang Burger with Jin'ichi to celebrate! We had a Big Bang Burger in my old hometown before it changed into a carwash, I guess it wasn't as popular as they thought it was. Either way, I still enjoyed the burgers they served there because it was a great place to go after you go grocery shopping for heavy things. And Junko always got a kid's meal with a toy that's based on the theme of the month, it was adorable.

We actually never had a reason to visit the Big Bang Burger place here in Shibuya until now, so I ordered my usual single plain cheeseburger with a pickle and a side of fires. Jin'ichi went all out and ordered the sixth biggest burger on the menu with all the bacon on it. We definitely needed some drinks to wash it down, so while I chose a plain-old water bottle, Jin'ichi mixed every flavor in the machine, and now I am questioning Jin'ichi's eating habits...

He was smiling the whole time at the booth we picked out, and it somehow made me uncomfortable and satisfied at the same time… but either way, I'm just so proud of myself for actually doing what was right for once, and Jin'ichi made sure I knew that…

That is, after he was done hounding down on his giant burger and burped a bit loudly. I'll admit, that was funny, but then Jin'ichi quickly switched gears and told me with gratitude for my perseverance: "Harry. I just want to let you know, thanks for sticking by my side to the very end. Even when I was completely hopeless, you managed to stick your nose in a rumor or two and get your hands dirty for me. I would've done it better myself if I wasn't blinded by my actions."

Jin'ichi showed me his gratitude by paying the waitress when I forgot to bring my wallet today. After feeling a bit embarrassed of what he told me, I looked at him with hope in my eyes. "Aw shucks, I just wanted to help you overcome your insanity. So now that Kamoshida is gone, are you gonna start being nice again?" Jin'ichi kept smiling as he put his feet up on the table, he just felt like a man who won the crane game.

"Afraid not. The damage was already done, I'll still be rough and tough, but probably to a lesser level than before. The school can't afford to kick me out, but now that Kamoshida is out, the one thing that had the guts to expose me, they're practically helpless due to the urgency of the situation. They could call the police on me, but my dad knows that, so he'll stop doing his handy-work on the school if they do."

"Um… yeah, I already knew that. So… how does it feel to finally have Kamoshi-" I was interrupted by Jin'ichi again, who smacked the table with his hand, it was like he snapped harder than a twig on a tree.

"It was awesome!!!" "Whoa!! Hold your hor-" "The mere thought of Kamoshida confessing every damn thing he did is too awesome to look away from! That little rat deserved everything that was coming to him, and now, at long last, he's going to pay for his sins like the sinful demon he is!!" I was a bit frightened that he sounded this crazy in public, but I think I can calm him back down.

"Okay! Okay! I get that you enjoyed Kamoshida suffering, but what about the Phantom Thieves of Hearts? "Huh? Phantom Thieves?" he said a little confused as to what I was talking about. "As in the ones who saved Ryuji's life?" "Yeah! Those guys were fucking awesome! I just wish I could see them, so I could thank them for what they did."

"Forget that, I want to be a Phantom Thief! I may not know their methods yet, but I swear if I become one of them, I'll take you with me! You're the toughest guy I've ever met, and perhaps the most badass friend I've met!" I said with hype and confidence, Jin'ichi couldn't agree more.

"Yep. Tell me something I don't know. Thanks for the burgs Harry." He stood up as me and Jin'ichi walked out with victory stains all over our faces. We should have a taste of victory this more often. "You're welcome. I'll see you later!" I waved goodbye as he gave me the peace symbol while saying: "Yep. If you ever need any help, just give me a ring and I'll be there in a flash." "Okay! Thank you, Jin'ichi!" I thanked him for warning me ahead of time, if it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't be here celebrating anything.

So he walked back to his home with books in hand, and I was on my back to my apartment, already satisfied with the outcome of today.I finally managed to help someone I loved, I felt so good about making Jin'ichi feel better, I didn't want to stop there! I just wish I could help the whole world be a better place, a place where no evil doers are lurking about and everyone is happy.

But before I could get on the train back to the apartment, I noticed one of the alleyways in Shibuya wasn't there before. For some reason it was placed in between the gun shop and some other store. Curiosity struck me as I took a peek inside the alleyway. It looked very pale and dark in contrast to the bright and colorfulness of Shibuya. It gave me a feeling of unease as my teeth began to chatter.

I had a feeling there was just some scammer trying to sell me drugs, but for some reason I couldn't find anything in this particular alley. There's no trash to pick up, no signs of life, even a piece of plastic flew in and it disappeared into thin air. This was getting too weird for me, never before had I been so frightened by nothing.

I was getting some strange vibes from this place, all of my danger senses were triggering at once. I was about ready to turn tail and run for the hills, before I heard the most frightening voice I've ever heard. The voice sounded monotonous, but it sounded like they were still trying to be friendly by saying...

"Hello."

I turned around to see who it was, and I flinched by the result. It was a man my age, he wore a strange purple hoodie over his head and I couldn't see his eyes. His skin was pale and very rough, as if he didn't feed it anything in so long that he probably forgot what food was. His clothes, aside from the hoodie, were torn because I can see parts of his skin being too wrinkly for me to look at without cringing. His lips were somehow intact, but he bites on them whenever he wasn't talking.

The man's appearance in general felt wrong, and I mean very wrong, I've never seen anyone like this before. I really wanted to scream, but for some reason I could only make a quick but silent "ah…" before my teeth stopped shivering. The more I looked at him, the less scared I was.

Somehow, my fear was starting to go away. I slowly calmed down to the point where I wasn't afraid to look at him anymore. I didn't know why I wasn't scared, because I'm usually scared of guys in dark alleyways, but for some reason I felt all of my fear slowly drain away from me as I stood there like a statue while still looking at the man's distorted appearance. My normally cowardly self didn't know what to think as I kept looking at him constantly without moving an inch.

If this were any other situation, this would be awkward as hell, but the way he looked at me through those purple soulless eyes that didn't get any sleep, and the way his voice sounded earlier, it felt sorta like meeting an old friend but you don't even know who they were. Come to think of it, he felt like a completely different person than my old friend.

I had no idea what I was doing up until the man asked in that disturbing voice again: "What is your name?" I let my mouth do its thing because he doesn't exactly look like the kind of man who would steal my identity, at least that's what I thought at the time. The whole time I was talking to him, I didn't move a muscle as all of my answers were the truth. Again, I had no idea why I was doing this, but the more I talked to him the less hostile I was toward him...

"I'm… Hakaru. Hakaru Yumasu…" "So, tell me, do you want to become a hero?" He says in a tone that felt off when compared to Jin'ichi. His voice continues to echo in my skull as I kept answering without thinking: "Y-Yes."

"Let me guess. You knew about the Phantom Thieves, and now that you've seen evidence of their existence, you want to become just like them?" He smiled as if he knew why I came here, but definitely not in a way that looked comfortable, I somehow managed held my fear in longer than usual.

"Y-Yeah… They saved 3 teens from being expelled." I told him. "Heh. They did more than save three ordinary teenagers, they also saved the world that day." He sounded like these Phantom Thieves were a big deal. "T-They did?" I was shocked to hear that Kamoshida was that bad, but the man threw no punches as he kept explaining:

"Had Kamoshida stayed the same for the rest of his life, he would've caused a chain reaction that would end the world as we knew it. And it's all thanks to the Phantom Thieves of Hearts for finally putting an end to his deranged crime spree." Suddenly he got a bit angered just thinking of Kamoshida which almost frightened me if it weren't for my frozen state:

"That goddamn Kamoshida thinks he's so smart just because he's the king and turns innocent women into his personal toys… the Phantom Thieves sure are something though, aren't they? I believe their names were Joker, Skull, Panther, and Mona." "Huh…?" He just got angry at Kamoshida for all the wrong reasons, and then he goes back to being emotionless? This felt very unsettling, especially compared to what Jin'ichi does when he's psychotic. But besides that, he knows their names!? That must mean he has to be official!

"Two boys, one girl, and one weird-ass-looking cat. Were those the ones who helped your new friend?" he asked as I took a lucky guess: "Y-Yes, I think so, but how do you know such private information? Who are you anyway?" I just stood there waiting for an answer as the man told me about himself.

"Well, I guess you could say I'm a P.E, A Phantom Eye. I know every move they make and I work as their agent. When they want to make a heist, it's my job to check up on suspects and make sure they aren't doing anything terrible. Like say… abusing and causing a woman to almost die and expelling 3 regular teens for no reason." That hit me at a personal level, but before I could ask how does he know that, he just looks away like he's not paying any attention to anything minor I tell him.

I would've felt unimportant, but if this guy is really a so-called 'Phantom Eye', I could really use his help to become a Phantom Thief. I felt unsure of myself at first, seeing that he wasn't exactly in the right condition to be of any help, but something tells me he might be able to make me less of a coward...

"Oh my! If you know so much about them, maybe you can help me become one." I said inspired by his knowledge. The stranger looked away again when I said that, as if he tried hard to get me not to do the work that Phantom Thieves do...

"I don't know. There may be a chance that you could rat me out to the police, but then again, who else can you trust? And besides, what they're doing is on a professional level, you'd need serious training if you ever want to compete with the power to change a man's mind. In other words, until you become a master of the thieving arts, you should only be focusing on a target that's smaller than what they're dealing with. But that won't mean your life will be in danger the entire time."

I was skeptical about this whole thing at first, mostly due to the whole danger part, but seeing that this man is so closely related to the Phantom Thieves themselves makes me want to join up even more! At this point, I didn't care about the danger or whatever fears I had, I just want to help those who can't help themselves!

"Come on, please! I won't tell anyone but my friend about you, I just want to help those who don't have any justice! Just let me have whatever they're having and I'll swear to help keep the peace!" The man stayed silent for a bit and then after a while, he finally made his decision:

"Okay. I'll let you have the job. But it won't be easy." "Don't worry, I can take it!" I said confidently while the stranger smiled at me again: "That's what I wanted to hear from you Hakaru. Make sure you check your phone, it may contain more than what you think is there…" My phone? You mean like that other time my phone got a rouge app? Whoever this guy might be, he must be putting it inside my phone as we speak! But even though he sounded friendly enough, I still had no idea who this guy is, and for some reason I'm starting to be ejected from this alleyway.

"Okay! But I never did get your name…" He looked away yet again when I asked that: "How unfortunate… My name is HEX. When you find what lies within your heart, come and find me."

A blinding light flashed before my eyes, and then I was woken up by the snap of a bystander who thought I dozed off. My body could move again, and I can properly emote once more. But still, that man felt familiar, and the way he talked to me was almost like some dude in a horror flick. But regardless I took a peek at my green and brown smartphone, given to me as a hand-me-down from my dad, only to find that strange app I got during my first time in Shujin.

I had this strange sense of deja vu as I looked at the app with an eyeball for an app icon. I had a very similar app that appeared before that big dream I had. I thought I was dreaming when I woke up in a strange prison cell out of nowhere, I had no idea what was going on and the stress made me pass out on the jail bed. The next day, I woke up only to find that strange red eyeball app gone. I checked out the thumbnail for the new copy but instead of a reddish color, it was actually blue. At this point, I was just as confused just like when I first found this app, but if this thing will turn me into a Phantom Thief, so be it.

First things first, I called Jin'ichi over to examine the app in the alleyway I got it in. He looked at the app with confusion and wonder as he pieced together what was going on. "Harry, what you're saying is that this thing can turn us into the radical Phantom Thieves that saved Ryuji's life?" He asked me while leaning his head interested in what I had going. Still scratching my head in confusion, I then said: "Um, yeah kinda. I personally don't know how they do it, or even any clue as to what this app does, but I think this is what the Phantom Thieves use for their heists."

"So let me get this straight. What we saw with Kamoshida can be done with anyone we want?" Jin'ichi said as his spirits lifted up as I remembered the stakes at hand: "Well, there's also a chance that we might die, but other than that we're good to go." I'm practically shivering at the stakes, there's a chance that we might die, and I certainly don't want to end up like Shiho almost did. Jin'ichi grinned as he clutched his fist knowing all too well of the risk we might be in…

"Harry, do you know who you're talking to? If we are in a life or death situation, I'll get us out of a jam in no time! Now how the hell does that thing work?" He points to the app as I press on it carefully with my thumb. I closed my eyes hoping something wouldn't happen, nothing did. I opened my eyes to see a strange screen. It was blue with black stripes, it had white message boxes that asked for three different things; A who, a what, and a where.

Jin'ichi looked at it for a bit before scratching his head. "Harry, isn't something supposed to happen?" "I-I think we're supposed to insert some text into these boxes, the only problem is, what does it all mean?" We stood there trying to figure out what these text boxes do, we knew we have to put a person's name down, but we didn't know which one to pick. "Sorry dude, I'm drawing a blank. Is there any way you can get through this screen?" Jin'ichi was still scratching his head as I remembered that there is someone I know who can help us…

"Jin'ichi, I think I know where to look! There's this guy who gave me the app, his name is HEX, you'll like him once you get to know him." That felt weird, I wouldn't normally give praise to a guy I've just met that day, but for some reason HEX felt so friendly that I couldn't help but like him from the start. Jin'ichi raised an eyebrow as soon as he heard me say that. "Um… Harry? Are you sure you should be trusting guys in alleyways? Those guys are the worst, all they do all day is stand there waiting for you to get money by selling drugs."

"Jin'ichi you don't understand, this guy in particular wasn't a drug dealer. If he was a drug dealer, then I would be wobbling on the floor right now smoking like a boss. But I'm not a boss, I'm a coward, I'm usually too afraid to even face one of those guys. But HEX, he just felt alright with me being around. Even though he's a little unpredictable, he was one of the few people I don't get nervous around." I explained to Jin'ichi as he cringed a bit knowing that I got involved in some shady business...

"You even know his name…? Well… I guess it can't be helped. I can't stop you from dealing with guys like him, however my suspicion won't let up until I actually see who this 'HEX' guy is…" He nodded his head as I took him into the alleyway from before, it suddenly appeared out of nowhere like last time, but I felt completely calm about going back in as I took in a deep breath and walked straight in with my eyes opened.

We saw HEX and his ruined state, it didn't feel as scary as last time as I could move freely within the alley. Jin'ichi however almost made a fist thinking this was the most wasted person in the world, but he didn't throw it as he stood completely still like I did. I decided not to question it as I nervously introduced Jin'ichi to HEX: "Um… HEX, meet Jin'ichi Sumula. Jin'ichi, meet HEX." HEX looked away from Jin'ichi as he kept his focus on me, as if he pretended Jin'ichi wasn't with me...

"What brings you back here?" Yep, HEX still has that lifeless voice of his, just wanted to make sure. Jin'ichi felt a little off because of his unnatural demeanor, but he still managed to get the question out: "We… we came here to know how to use this Metaverse app thingy…" HEX looked at us with a small hint of annoyance in his tone, which made me jump just a little: "You're saying that you can't figure out how to use this app? That didn't take long."

"B-But if you tell us what these text boxes mean, then we'll be able to continue on our own. Does that sound good?" I asked a bit cautious that he was about to do something. He silently nodded as he began to explain how to use the app. It took a while to explain, but I managed to shorten it in my head so that I could remember it easier…

"Alright. There are three things you must require before you begin your quest as a Phantom Thief; First, you'll need the name of someone you know who is unredeemable, despicable, and is completely aware that they are hurting others for their own needs. Second, you'll need what they consider to be their happy place. For Kamoshida, it was a school, it made him feel as free as a bird, so the same should apply to your target as well. Third, and most importantly, you must find out what your target thinks of their happy place. Kamoshida thought the school was a castle, so you'll have to guess the last part unless you have a better idea on who your target is. After you figure out your clues, approach the destination and begin the navigation. Then, and only then, will you be able to unlock your rebellious spirit... "

I was personally having trouble thinking of what all of that meant, but Jin'ichi summed it up for me as best as he could while frozen: "So we just need to find someone super bad, where they like to go, and what do they think of the place? Sounds simple enough, I think I know just the guy. We'll start off easy and see where that gets us, are you okay with this HEX?" HEX looked away yet again, then looked at me like I knew what to do, but I didn't…

"The punk is right, Hakaru. If you went for someone major like Kaneshiro or Shido, you'll definitely attract unwanted attention. You're only doing this to help others aren't you? The only way to keep doing this job without getting the Phantom Thieves to notice you is by keeping your actions small, right? If so, then I'll let you two decide who to target on your own, I'll be keeping my eye on you…" And then like last time, we both got ejected out from the alleyway, and for some reason Jin'ichi felt a bit happy about the task at hand…

"Heh, this HEX guy isn't so bad after all. I gotta say Harry, this whole Phantom Thief business is getting me hyped up." He gives me the thumbs up as I still pondered for a target: "Yeah, it's got me all worked up too, but we still need someone small so that we can't get noticed by the public…" Jin'ichi then pats my back as he smiled like he had a good idea…

"Don't worry about that part. They say you have to follow your gut to figure things out, and if my gut is right, I think I know just the little rascal we need. You see, there are these two kids I see every now and then and one of them was always abused by the other…" We then hear a young child crying from the middle of the street, I felt sorry for whoever that was while Jin'ichi shrugged like it was nothing: "Ah, right on cue. Come on Harry, let's take a look." Jin'ichi rushed outside the alleyway and I followed him hoping that this kid was okay...

We saw them in the streets as the scene was already not a pretty one. The first one was kinda innocent looking, and I really felt bad for the little guy. He was about eight years old, he was in Junko's class as far as I can tell, his red baseball cap was looking tight, it covered the blond hair he had, and for some reason he has one of those square eye patches you get for losing your eye somehow. The only problem is, I think I know why he lost that eye.

I saw the little boy crying in front of the second boy, who looked chubby, messy, greedy, and it gives off nearly the same feeling Kamoshida did beforehand. And what's worse, he was with his parents who looked at him with a smile, an innocent smile that looked alright anywhere else, but here it was just unsettling, see these two parents completely ignore the crying child in front of them.

And then the brat looked at them like a false angel, a cute little smile covering up a smirk, which brought us to the conclusion that even his own parents don't know how much of a bastard he really was, or at least they completely ignore the bad side of the kid. I think we found the who in this case, but we still need his name and we have to cheer the kid up, but not with that chubby kid's parents around.

They seem like the overprotective type, so as soon as that family left, I walked over to the other little boy who was crying holding a piggy bank. Why didn't that chubby guy just take the bank? Did he take all the money inside it and give it back to the poor guy? My sense of justice was turned on, and when that happens, I'm determined to do whatever it takes to do things right, even though I might be cowardly, I can't help but think of the children.

I didn't want Jin'ichi to comfort him yet because he might get a little rough, to say the least. I just have more of a softer touch when it comes to talking with kids. Trust me, I've practiced comfort with Junko on occasion, so naturally I was the best choice for the job. I put my arm in front of Jin'ichi to let him know I'll handle this, he nods as I approach the kid with a smile on my face and placed my right arm on his shoulder, much like what Jin'ichi does to me sometimes.

"Hi there kid. What seems to be the problem?" The boy was still crying from whatever the bully did to him, and somewhere deep inside me, I felt that comforting the child was definitely the right choice...

"It's that jerk, he took ¥100 out of my piggy bank!" hearing that just made me feel relatable to the situation: "Oh man… that kinda reminds me of my first days at school." I remember some kid always took money from me as if he had nothing better to do, but eventually I became so scared of the bullies that I wasn't worth being picked on.

I doubt acting scared of a chubby kid is going to work for this one, so I signaled Jin'ichi to approach the kid next and he started by wiping off one of his tears. "Look kid, it pains me to see kids like you suffer. So let's do something about it, what's the bully's full name? If we knew his name, we might be able to help you." The kid was trying to recall his name, and to our surprise he perfectly stated the first and last name...

"Um… M-Moni-gami Per-oski, I think that's his name." Okay we've got the who, but before I could type it out I heard Jin'ichi say: "Peroski…?" Jin'ichi was a bit unnerved for some reason by hearing that last name, he briefly lost his cool before I asked him what's wrong: "Are you okay?" He quickly shook his head as he recovered: "Hey, it's fine. Okay, now see if the shoe fits." As I looked a Jin'ichi with concern, I punch in the words 'Monigami Peroski' into the name box.

We heard a sound coming from the app and it meant we found the who! Now we just need a what and a where, and we'll be ready for whatever danger this app has in store for us! "Nice work kiddo, now can you do us a favor and take us to Monigami's favorite place?" Jin'ichi patted the boy on the back before he retaliated by jumping back a little. He started to shake a bit as he felt fear when he brought that up: "Huh!? But that would be Monigami's house! He says it's the place to be when you want to live like a king. I shouldn't take you two there, I don't even know what you're trying to accomplish!"

"Isn't that simple? We just want to solve your problem with Monigami, even though we have no idea how, what else is there to do?" I tell the kid that as he scratches his head a bit and nods as he says: "Good point… okay, I'll take you two dudes there, but let's not go inside, who knows what kind of heck awaits us in there…" And for what felt like the first time in my life, Jin'ichi and I followed a little kid down a few of the busy streets and we came across a regular house as I punched in the where. Correct answer, now we just need to figure out one more thing, and then it's time to become a Phantom Thief.

Upon closer inspection of the house, it looks pretty average, with a brick roof and a blue paint job, and I saw a maid or two exit the place as the family came back in. Why would a child want a maid, let alone two maids? We managed to sneak behind a bush before we could figure out more. We've got the who and the where, now all we needed was the what.

"Okay, all we need now is how he sees his house." "That's a tricky one Harry... What do we know from a brat who pesters other innocent kids?" "I have no idea." Jin'ichi and I put our heads together as we pondered for a bit before we noticed the boy shivering in fear.

"I'm a little scared. We shouldn't even be here in front of his house, he'll kill me!" Jin'ichi suddenly got up and almost got out of our hiding place as he swung his arm around in a circle: "Oh he will? I'll knock him up for you." I managed to stop him by acting cowardly over actually standing up to a kid this horrible: "W-wait! Listen kid, we just need to know what Monigami thinks of his house, you got any ideas?" I turned to the kid for answers, from the looks of things, he pretty much took a wild guess from at least one of the times he suffered...

"Well… he did say something about him feeling like the richest kid or something. It was back when he was first messing with me." I put two and two together as I conspired that rich thoughts always lead to millionaires: "So a mansion huh? How long has it been since he first started giving you trouble?" I asked, he frowned upon remembering his pain: "About two years of suffering." Two years!? That's way too long of a time to be abused by someone that young!

"Ouch." Jin'ichi said while looking a bit concerned about the kid as I looked at him with a hint of determination, the only problem left was the name: "Don't worry… um… What's your name?" He was partly moved by my brief moment of seriousness I could tell by him starting to turn his frown upside down: "I'm Takeyoshi Winslow." Takeyoshi? That's the same kid who shared his lunch with Junko one time! Any friend of Junko is a friend of mine, so I smiled even brighter...

"Pleasure to meet you, my name is Hakaru Yumasu and this is my friend, Jin'ichi Sumula. Don't worry Takeyoshi, the 'Phantom Thieves 2' is on the case!" I was just winging it at that point, because I still have no idea what they do… "What?" Jun'ichi said confused as I even stumped myself on that last part: "Well we needed a team name, but let's wait until we get a grip on this whole situation to actually establish said name. Okay Jin'ichi. You ready to do what the thieves do?" I asked with a confident smile as I prepared my fingers for typing.

Jin'ichi smirked like he really wanted to hurt this bad kid, which usually makes me kinda jumpy when he gets like that: "Ready as I'll ever be. I can't wait to smack that brat in the face." "Oh! Can I smack that brat in the face too?" The kid raised his hand like he wanted to be volunteering as a school hall monitor. I hate to bring up any bad news now, but I have to tell him he can't come. But before I could: "Sure pal." Jin'ichi gave him the thumbs up while I was stuttering and worrying for the kid's safety, to say the least...

"What!? U-Um… kid, uh, you see…" I tried to explain why Takeyoshi couldn't go, but Jin'ichi patted me on the back like a champ and explained what he thinks about children that age with a alternating smirk and a frown:

"Come on Harry. This kid wants to know how the Phantom Thieves work as much as we do. Nowadays, a kid will get pushed around with no way to defend himself. If handled improperly, then he'll become a 'poor boy' when he grows up. If you want a kid on your side, you'll have to treat them as equals. Anything less than that is offensive in my book. And besides, who's going to believe a sweet little kid with an endless imagination? No one will ever know as long as they treat him like a baby." Jin'ichi moved over to Takeyoshi and gave him a pat on the back next as Takeyoshi got excited for our little job...

"I'll happily discard my innocence as a child to help the big boys beat the bad boy!" Takeyoshi looks totally on board with this, and I can't say no to that childish smile of his. Childish smiles are my kryptonite, but they aren't in the fear section of my brain, quite the opposite lately, they actually land in my happy place.

"Oh alright… but no cursing okay dude? He's a sensitive boy!" I reassured with Jin'ichi as shrugged it off and Takeyoshi cheered and was just as bouncy as Junko would get when she hyped: "Heh. It'll be fine. Just type in the what already and let's go!" Jin'ichi said determined as I looked at my phone. It displayed some sort of image that looked like a map and some sort of meter. Confused and afraid, someone had to tell him...

"Um… I think I already did…" "Then what the hell happened?" Jin'ichi wondered as we looked around for anything weird. Takeyoshi then wonders: "Do you think you forgot to charge the batteries?" "No, that's the weird part. This app has to have something else behind it." I said not knowing what's going on. We pondered for a bit as we took a look at the street, it looked the same but there's nobody else here.

We were confused as heck trying to piece together what just happened, everything else just looked more or less the same as before, but we took one look at the bush we were hiding in and it was shaped like a dollar sign. Something tells me we aren't in Tokyo anymore, and I'd bet Jin'ichi and Takeyoshi felt the same way. We all jumped out from behind the bush as we saw a strange sight to behold...

We took a look at the place that was Monigami's house and it wasn't ordinary anymore, that's something we could tell from the get go. It looked like a fancy mansion that's filled with riches and desires. The sky was a red crimson, the colors of the mansion were white and golden, it's no surprise that Monigami wanted to be a millionaire when he grew up. The whole thing was surrounded by this big golden gate we didn't even know was right behind us this whole time...

We had no idea how we ended up here, and why aren't we doing anything cool yet, but one thing's for certain, this was certainly what HEX warned us about! While I started shaking upon the sight of the sudden change, and Jin'ichi smirked as he cracked his knuckles waiting for his first opponent, Takeyoshi was amazed and wowed at the sight of the mansion as he stared at the mansion with stars in his eyes.

"Whoa! That is so awesome! My bully owns a giant mansion! Isn't that great?" Takeyoshi faced Jin'ichi with a bright smile as Jin'ichi looked back at him while keeping that grin on that face that wants to bash heads: "Aren't you jealous?" Takeyoshi nodded up a storm: "Yes! This place just looks like a giant house, and I love giant houses!" He stood there wowed by the scenery as I had to get this team moving...

"Y-yeah, well standing here and appreciating the giant building isn't going to do us any favors, let's go! Phantom Thieves 2.0, away!" I pointed towards the mansion as I tried to be cool in front of them, but the boys just looked at me awkwardly again. "Harry, we'll think of a name, once we figure out how this strange place works..." Jin'ichi rolled his eyes as Takeyoshi confidently said: "Good idea Jin'ichi!"

Jun'ichi turned to the mansion and stared it down with a grin on his face. I on the other hand was embarrassed as heck. But I guess my goofy inexperienced nature will help tone down whatever comes our way. First things first, we double checked to see if there was anyone who might try and stop us, there was nobody yet but we slowly trekked through the yard as we remained cautious of our surroundings.

We decided to take a look around the front yard and it's front garden. It was filled with bushes shaped like dollar signs and money bags of all kinds of shapes and sizes, the grass looks as perfect as Monigami would want it, and there's a red carpet that leads inside. Does this guy really care about money or is it something completely different? That's the question I had in my head the entire time as we explored this parallel world. The three of us really enjoyed the scenery of this place, but we didn't let our guard down seeing that this may be enemy territory.

"I've gotta say, this mansion does look pretty fancy. Why can't we all have one of those?" Jin'ichi asks me as I felt myself shiver due to not knowing what could be lurking beyond: "I don't know, but knowing Monigami, I'm positive that he doesn't take kindly to people like us, sneaking in on his property unwanted…" "Hey! What's tha-" I cover Takeyoshi's mouth as quickly as I could as we spotted someone, or something tending to the garden…

There was a butler in a fancy tuxedo snipping off some of the flower heads in a bush. He looks okay from this angle, but when he turned around, he shocked me a bit as this guy doesn't have a face! His entire skin was as black as night, and he's wearing a strange bronze facemask that showed his eyes and mouth, if he had any of those things.

I was shivering some more as Jin'ichi tilted his head to get the cricks out of his neck and Takeyoshi looked confused. "U-Um… Why does this guy have no facial features…?" I said in fear as Jin'ichi relaxed knowing that there's nothing to worry about: "Come on guys, it's just the one guy, if I can take him out, then we'll get in without any troubles." Oh no, don't tell me he's about to do what I think he's about to do, I shivered a bit more knowing exactly what's about to happen next…

"W-Wait, we have to fight!? B-But we didn't even bring any weapons!" I say knowing that this might not end well for either side, but Jin'ichi chuckled a bit as he did that finger wiggling thing again: "Don't worry about it Harry, I'll just knock that faceless butler unconscious and then we'll be on our way, simple!" He gives me the thumbs up as he cracked his knuckles again as Takeyoshi cheered for him: "Yay! Go Jin'ichi!" Kid, you really shouldn't be encouraging violence like this…

Jin'ichi lunged at the butler and grabbed him by the neck as he choked the poor guy to the point of going unconscious. It knocked him down sure, which made Takeyoshi clap for Jin'ichi, but we weren't out of trouble yet; Blasting out of the millionaire's front door came more faceless butlers with the same masks on them. "J-Jin'ichi, look out!" I cried as he looked at the incoming swarm of black guys with a hint of surprise. He then smirked as he expressed his need to bash some heads right in front of us, yikes… "So you guys want some of this too huh? Bring it!"

He once again charged at the butlers and kicked a few of them over after swinging a few punches at a couple. This aggressive attitude of his made me chew on my fingernails, but Takeyoshi kept cheering for him like he was a professional baseball player. Just when we thought we were in the clear, one of the butlers grabbed Jin'ichi leg and the rest of them piled up on him. Me and Takeyoshi gasped as Jin'ichi, the toughest guy I knew, was restrained from using any further violence! His hands were behind his back and the butlers seemed to withstand his kicks now that he can't fight back.

Me and Takeyoshi watched as Jin'ichi was clearly struggling to get out of their grasp with anger on his once cocky face. Suddenly, the butler that was knocked unconscious before got back up and grabbed me and Takeyoshi as he said in a strange echoing voice: "You boys need to be taught a lesson, perhaps Master Monigami might be able to educate you." "M-Master Monigami!?" I questioned in shock as we got dragged into the mansion itself. I tried to shake out of the butler's grasp like Jin'ichi was doing, but I was kinda accidentally distracted by the interior as I looked astounded going through the door...

The floor had not a single piece of dirt on it, the interior was a pleasing white and golden color like the outside, and I think I saw a maid or two. It looks very spiffy with a giant staircase with a red carpet, a couple glass chandeliers, statues of Monigami and crimson curtains with his name entitled in gold all over it. Sure it smells a bit spoiled, but everything else was strangely beautiful.

I was pretty astounded that a simple house looked like a mansion when I used the app, but I don't have enough context to figure out what the heck is going on! We were dragged near a wooden door near the stairs that has a golden label saying "Office". I've got a feeling we're about to meet Monigami...

They took us into this office on the first floor that had a pool table, a huge bookshelf that's near a brown wooden desk with a red recliner, and a ton of pictures of Monigami in some… questionable poses. There we found Monigami, all dressed in black rich clothing with a small fancy mustache, a wig like those old people in history, and a walking stick with a cat head on it.

Takeyoshi and I were able to move again as they pushed us in front of the desk, but the guards held Jin'ichi in place as he hated being tied down. Monigami looked at us with yellow glowing eyes and spoke in a tone that somehow felt even worse than what I thought of him before! It had that same echoed tone that the butlers had, and the kid's voice was definitely some sort of spoiled brat.

"Hey! What are you jackasses doing in my mansion?" Holy cow this kid can cuss!? I wanted to cover Takeyoshi's ears, but the word came too quickly for me to cover it up. Jin'ichi was triggered that this kid knows bad words, and not the best ones to be exact: "Jackasses…!?" He said struggling on the ground. Takeyoshi tried to play it tough, but he was clearly shivering in fear. I don't blame him, I have that exact same problem...

"W-well, we came here to tell you to stop!" Takeyoshi stuttered. 'Rich' Monigami smirked as he leaned in close to him as Takeyoshi kept a straight face: "Heh. What a pussy you are, coming here unarmed to try to assassinate me!"

Takeyoshi pushed the rich brat back a bit as he shook while keeping up his attempt at bravery. "I-I'm not afraid of you anymore! I have my friends to back me up!" Monigami looked at us while Jin'ichi looked pissed right back at him.

"Huh? Are these your so-called 'new friends'?" He asked unamused. "Yeah! These two are the toughest people I've ever met! Hakaru and Jin'ichi!" Me? A tough guy? I don't deserve the praise, but I'll take any compliment to make me more safe: "Aw…" Monigami doesn't seem to care about Takeyoshi trying to be threatening. He let out a chuckle as he brags about his power...

"Ohohoho! What can they do to help? You've already noticed you have no chance against me! And for the record, I hate all of these fucking jackasses thinking that they can just sneak in and steal my stuff! As punishment for your intrusion to my wonderful mansion… you'll all have to join the rest of these stubborn mules!" Monigami shifted from anger to smirk like the rich guy he is.

He claps his white gloves together and a secret passageway opens up from the bookshelf on the left to uncover a red fence filled with a lot of donkeys. Each of them had a hairdo similar to the ones in the real world, Jin'ichi got even more pissed when he found out one of the jackasses had his spiky hairdo. I even saw one from Takeyoshi, and that just made me a little angry seeing us be compared to donkeys. Takeyoshi also got upset because that donkey looked young and clueless, just like him...

"You think you're so smart aren't you? I have no idea what's going on, but I'm starting to think that you treat everyone like goddamn mules!" Jin'ichi angrily states while Takeyoshi felt himself slipping the more he looked at the donkeys: "Why are you even doing this anyway!? What did we ever do to you!?" Monigami smirks again, and let me tell you something, the way he smirks is very unpleasant coming from a mere child.

"Ha! Why shouldn't I? My parents have given me everything I've ever wanted! Nobody else thinks about me twice before they just up and scream for my pleasure! Those fucking jackasses are just the kind of people I don't want to spoil. To them, I'm the devil incarnate! But to my own parents? They think of me as a precious angel who never does anything bad sucka! Throw these asses into the fence! I can't wait to have them be fucked by those good-for-nothings!"

Oh no, Jin'ichi's eye was twitching and he started to struggle even harder as he started to get angrier by the minute: "Stop cursing in front of the damn kid!!!" Takeyoshi held on to Jin'ichi's hand with all of his might as he was shivering like I was: "Jin'ichi! I don't wanna be a donkey!" All I could do was watch the two get pushed around by the guards near helplessly as I'm too afraid to get hurt. This situation was just too familiar, I can't help them like this, I might die!

"Will you two just shut the fuck up already? You fuckers need to know what happens to those who defy my fucking rules!" Monigami says angrily. I really don't want to get hurt, but then again, my own dear friends are in trouble, and if I don't do anything about it, then they'll suffer even more than ever! I don't want this to be a repeat of the last time I was in this mess, I felt my fears slowly getting pushed aside as I felt my left hand make a fist. Something snaps inside and it compelled me to point at Monigami and yell at him:

"Hey! Watch your dang language young man!" Monigami looks at me when I said that and I covered my mouth hoping I didn't say anything too rash. He gets a closer look at me and grins a bit. This is invasion of personal space you know, I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable... "Hmm… this one has potential indeed… Put this one in with my… special collection." He snaps his fingers as I was grabbed by those butlers again.

I was getting dragged the opposite direction of my friends as I screamed as I had no idea who or what might they be planning. "Hakaru, no! You have to help him, he needs us more than ever!" Takeyoshi cried as he was grabbed by a guard and he screamed too. I kept screaming in fear of what Monigami might do to me, but I looked at Jin'ichi who was grinding his teeth, twitching his eyes and scratching the ground with his fingers going in different directions.

I stopped screaming as I shook my head knowing what came next. Everyone stopped and stared at Jin'ichi who was growling like some sort of rabid dog. "Harry… Harry!!! HARRY!!!!!" Jin'ichi cried my name in anguish as the guards tried to hold him still, but Jin'ichi started raising his crossed arms and the butlers actually felt surprised at his sudden strength. Then, it happened, just when I thought Jin'ichi couldn't get any angrier, when my life was involved this time, Jin'ichi couldn't hold it in any longer.

He knocked the two guards restraining him to the floor down, and we saw the monster that Jin'ichi became; His posture was shaking, he breathed heavily with his mouth, his fingers were even more wiggly than before, and his pupils were shrunken like a man who's gone off the deep end. He grabbed the recliner that Monigami was sitting on and swung it against the other butlers as haphazardly as possible. His violent screams filled the room as the butlers tried to restrain him, but were on the wrong side of the recliner. It wasn't that heavy, it was child-sized actually, which made Jin'ichi swing it around much easier.

"Yeah! Go Jin'ichi, kick his butt!" Takeyoshi was somehow cheering for Jin'ichi's rampage, but the kid's too young to know the truth, and it was probably best if he didn't know. While Takeyoshi encouraged this violence more, I was horrified by it, this was the first time I've seen Jin'ichi act so violently. I was able to process it this time because I wasn't as traumatized as before, but it was still hard for me to watch. If this was what he was capable of doing now, then that means he could've done that to Kamoshida himself if he wanted to! This rampage was more brutal than his battles with Gary and those two kids, but at least it's working, some butlers started disappearing into thin air, which startled me a bit.

Unfortunately, that rampage lasted about 20 seconds, because they just keep coming, and they eventually overwhelmed him as Monigami looked at Jin'ichi all pissed. Jin'ichi was still growling at Monigami as he clearly wasn't done with him yet. Takeyoshi stopped cheering while I just stayed quiet when Monigami got up, and boy was he angry!

"My chair! My beautiful, beautiful chair! Now I have to beg my parents for a new one that's just as perfect as I am! You dick ass bitch! You destroyed my favorite chair in the world!! Murder this motherfucker!!" He demanded. Takeyoshi and I looked horrified at what those guys were about to do to Jin'ichi.

The butlers started to kick him several times letting him get beat up harder than he usually dishes out. After a couple of kicks, Jin'ichi felt too exhausted to keep fighting. Jin'ichi was defeated again, that's exactly what HEX was trying to warn us about; This was way out of our league, not even Jin'ichi could handle it on his own! We watched in horror as Jin'ichi was being held at knife-point by Monigami. Remember that we're dealing with an actual child that says bad words, it makes me wonder how he's been raised.

I was shaking in my boots in complete terror the whole time because this felt just like the time my old friend was nearly killed! I was lucky enough to get the police that time, but I had no idea what to do now, especially since Monigami was looking at Jin'ichi like a homicidal crime boss! One thing's for certain though, I had to at least try to help him!

"Say your prayers cocksucker…" I shouted at Monigami after he said that in an attempt to target me instead: "Jin'ichi no! Don't you dare kill him!" Monigami looked at me, still enraged by what occurred earlier, still with the knife held up against Jin'ichi's face...

"What are you gonna do about it? Are you gonna tell my parents? Hell no, they don't trust anyone but my own judgement, they're practically my godly worshipers! What makes you fuckers believe you can change that?" Takeyoshi couldn't stand it anymore either, he mustered up as much courage as he could as he tried to intimidate him by yelling at the top of his lungs:

"Y-you even think of your parents like trash…!? You c-can't kill Jin'ichi, I've known him for about 10 minutes and I love the way he fights back! Meanwhile, I had to put up with your act for so long thinking that one day you might get in trouble! But now that I know that nobody but your victims knows about your attitude, I'm telling my mom to kick your mom's butt!" Takeyoshi looked so determined, I was surprised the kid had it in him. "No… Kid…" Jin'ichi shook his head afraid of what might happen, something I've thought I'd never see out of Jin'ichi. He was scared of losing us all to this brat, and that's why he lashed out earlier.

"Not unless I kill the tattler first…" Monigami says- Oh shit! He's perfectly content with killing a eight-year-old kid!? Takeyoshi gasped as the butler grabbed his arm, as me and Jin'ichi shouted: "Takeyoshi!" Jin'ichi tried to fight back again, but Monigami stabbed the palm of Jin'ichi's hand which made him scream in pain. I was shivering as I was forced to watch Jin'ichi's shaking hand bleed while the guard throws Takeyoshi in with him and Monigami points his knife at Jin'ichi again, all the while I was pinned to the ground!

The kid was scared out of his mind, and he started crying due to the danger he and his friends were in. I felt myself struggle to get out of the guard's grasp, but he just wouldn't let me go! I was forced to watch Takeyoshi hug Jin'ichi for his life as he began to accept his death! Jin'ichi closed his eyes in defeat as I was about to cry myself. Is this the very place where we'll die!? I never expected us to actually die to an alternative Monigami before, and I certainly didn't want it to end like this!

And what's more, Takeyoshi just stated he was waiting for Monigami to get in trouble too, just like I was with Kamoshida. If he dies here, not only will he be unable to help get vengeance for the years he was picked on, he also won't be able to see his mother and father again. What's worse is that given Monigami's attitude, his own parents won't believe him anyway! Jin'ichi gave it everything he's got, but seeing him in this state, unable to do anything about it, it put me in shock. If Jin'ichi couldn't handle Monigami, then what makes me think I can handle it too!?

I couldn't believe that we were all going to die, and it's all my fault! If I wasn't so desperate to become a Phantom Thief, we wouldn't have been in this mess! I have absolutely no idea how the Phantom Thieves get the job done, and without that knowledge we can't stand up to him!

I can't do this alone, but with our lives in even greater danger than before, it was up to me to save my friends! But I'm too scared to fight, there's nothing I could do to save everyone from such a horrible fate! If only I had the strength to fight, I could pulverize that Monigami and teach him a lesson in respecting others! Where is the justice in hurting others, treating them like donkeys, and killing my own friends!? This is just unacceptable!!!

I had to do something, anything, about this! Not doing anything wasn't the answer this time, it just wasn't an option anymore! I gathered all the courage I've been holding back on, and looked back at all the good times we had, I felt a need to protect those good times so they don't stop now. And for the first time ever in my life, I wasn't afraid of anything else, I just focused so hard on Monigami, I completely forgot about all my fears. Right now, this thing was between me and him!

"Monigami..." I said without a hint of hesitation. "Huh? What the fuck is your problem? Do you want to fucking die as well!?" Monigami was trying to intimidate me again with his anger, but it wasn't going to help him...

"H-Harry! What are you trying to do!? You have to get out of here, don't worry about me!" Jin'ichi was clearly worried about me, but I just couldn't abandon him now, not when this child was clearly trying to kill them...

"No... I won't back down... not this time. My sister was right... when your back is against the corner, and you don't know what to do... There's only one thing you can do, the only one thing I can do that I've never been able to do until now...!"

"Oh man..." Jin'ichi said stunned at my bravery. "H-Hakaru!?" Takeyoshi briefly stopped crying as he was shocked to see me trying to act tough. To be honest, I was a little surprised myself, but when someone wants to kill my only new friends in the world, I can't just let them do it, not again. I've watched as two of my own friends suffered and I couldn't save them before I had the guts to save Jin'ichi from his mental state. And now, with all the pain I had from the hands pushing me down, I knew from that moment that I had to do anything I can to save my friends.

For the longest time, I held a fear of rebellion that would always lead to trouble. This was justified when I couldn't rebel against Kamoshida because I couldn't do anything about it, but now, despite my helpless situation, I felt an uncontrollable urge to help. Jin'ichi is my best friend, and Takeyoshi is too young to die to the hands of his bully, and with that in mind, it was now or never for me. This was the moment that my desperation to keep Jin'ichi and Takeyoshi safe turned into a feeling that I've never felt before...

"I'll fight. I won't just let things happen anymore! Now it's personal!"

Just then, a voice reached my head as it sounded almost similar to mine, only more heroic and serious. I didn't know where it came from, but whatever it was, it saw me in danger and it knew exactly what to do in a time like this...

**(I see your new friends are in trouble. Tell me, did you seriously come all this way to let yourself be beaten by a child?)**

"N-No… I didn't. No way am I going to give up on anyone else! I have to save Jin'ichi and Takeyoshi!" I said in desperation and confidence

**(That makes it easy. It's time to let the past go and let your justice shine through. Are you positive that you want my help?)**

"Yeah! I can't let them die now, come to me!"

**(Then it's a deal.)**

That's when I got the worst headache in my life! I screamed as my head was burning hot as the voice was introducing himself. The guards held me down as Jin'ichi and Takeyoshi looked at me surprised as Monigami was starting to get a little annoyed with my screaming and he wanted me to stop. How can I stop it if the headache came too fast for me to be ready for it!? The voice spoke again, and I could hear every word it's telling me...

**(I am thou, thou art I, I am the justice you have sought for so long. For too long have you watched as other people suffer for all the wrong reasons. Now it is the time to unleash that justice onto those who have no redemption. Let your strength fuel your soul as it ignites with the passion to help those who couldn't protect themselves.)**

Just then, I felt like there was something in my eyes. A burst of energy came out as it knocked the guards away from me, so I could pull off the strange mask on my face, and it hurts like the dickens by the way. And then, in a flash of light, I unleashed the might of a super powered hero! Blue flames emerged from my body as a human shaped figure appeared out of it.

It came in the form of some sort of demigod with the power of ten hundred men. He donned a godlike toga, his gold armor was covering his arms and his legs, his cape flashed brighter than the sun, and he welds- not a sword - but his own fists also equipped with armor. His muscles were extra tough to crack, and his long hair was flashing gold as he looked at his foes with a heroic stare using his bronze eyes.

As for me, I wore some sort of green superhero costume sporting a cape, some green gloves, and a belt to keep my super pants on! I didn't know about it at the time, I was too busy focusing on Monigami and his goons. Jin'ichi was completely stunned seeing the power I kept within my heart. Takeyoshi's frown quickly became a smile as he saw me burst into flames. My rebellious spirit spoke again as he properly introduced himself:

**(Call me Hercules. With my power, we'll save your friends and the rest of the world from the wrath of the corrupt. Call to me, and I shall be here godspeed.)**

"What. The. Fuck." Jin'ichi said completely speechless. "Oh my goodness! That is so awesome!!" Takeyoshi was, of course, awed by this sudden power I've gained, but there was no time to waste...

"Vile villain! Release my friends now or suffer the consequences!" I said with so much courage it would impress myself. I learned that line from a comic book. "That's what you think. Let them have it, my henchmen!" Monigami snapped his fingers and some of the butler's tried to tackle me, but I used a special energy to blast out of their grasp with my sudden turbo boost of power.

"Very well then, prepare to feel the justice of Hercules, charge!!!!" I shouted as I turned my hands into fists, and for what was most likely the first time in my life, I felt like I could fight for real!

Me and Hercules charged at the ones that were holding the two hostages as the butlers engulfed themselves in a dark aura revealing a few green gross blobs. I couldn't tell who they were, but I guess it's supposed to symbolize how dirty this child is. I stopped for a moment as I didn't know these butlers could transform but Hercules spoke to me yet again with confidence…

**(Do not be afraid Hakaru, we can defeat these Shadows together!)**

I had no idea what he meant by Shadows, but regardless I nodded at my new power as I faced the 'Shadows' like a new man. After a brief moment of hesitation, I shouted at the top of my lungs, using a sentence I've never thought I'd say aloud: "Let's destroy these fake butlers!"

I sent Hercules out, and he swung his mighty fist at one of them, knocking it out instantly. Then, I felt so confident in myself that I started to glow a strange green color as I found myself punching another blob super hard, knocking it directly through a wall. This amazed Jin'ichi and Takeyoshi while simultaneously making Monigami ticked off at the damage I did.

"What!? No! My precious walls! Do you know how long it took me to watch my slaves build this!? You'll pay for this Hakaru! Don't just stand there, you blubbering assholes, destroy them!" He said angrily. I would've been scared of this part, but Monigami doesn't scare me anymore. After all, why should I be scared of a kid like him?

I grabbed the weakened Jin'ichi and Takeyoshi and rushed out of the room and hid behind one of the huge statues. Jun'ichi was still trying to process what was going on while Takeyoshi was still wowed by the power I have unleashed.

"Are you two okay?" I asked as Jin'ichi coughed a bit, and then the hype got to him as he grinned at me: "Whoa… how the fuck did you do that!?"

"Hakaru, you're amazing! All of that strength you brought out on those slime monsters, that was so cool! Even your clothes look awesome!" Takeyoshi looked at me with a face that said 'Oh my gosh you are awesome!' But after he said that, I just realized that my clothes changed and boy did they look heroic indeed.

"My clothes? Oh crap, my clothes! They must've changed when I pulled off that mask! Oops! I didn't mean to cuss in front of the child, I swear!" I felt that my old self hasn't changed a bit because this change finally got to me. Jin'ichi shrugged it off despite being wowed by my new look: "That's okay, the kid heard enough bad language to get 2 time-outs."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone! More importantly, you look just like a superhero!" Takeyoshi said as I looked at my cape amazed at myself: "So this is what being a Phantom Thief feels like… it actually feels nice to rebel against someone for once!" I knew that this was what the Phantom Thieves had to deal with, now the only questions we have left is related to how everything else works.

"Dang. I expected you to look kinda sketchy, but it looks like you just changed your clothes just by getting mad at the chubby brat. Of course I got mad too of course, but you've got something special Harry. I didn't think you actually had the nerve to fight before, but this is seriously next level." Jin'ichi was the one impressed with me for once, but I must not let this go to my head. Despite my awesome debut as a superhero, I still was missing something as I rubbed my back and scratched my head...

"Well, kinda… So, now that I'm a Phantom Thief, who the heck am I? We've got Joker, Mona, Skull, and Panther, what should I be?" I asked as Takeyoshi knew just the thing: "Let's call you 'Hero'! Because, y'know, he's a hero!"

" 'Hero' huh? I like the sound of that!" Yeah, I could get used to a name as simple as Hero! It makes sense because, y'know, I look like a superhero. We heard footsteps and noises coming from the guards as they tried to track us down.

"Um, 'Hero'? We should scram while the getting is good." "Good idea…" I was on board with whatever Jin'ichi says, because if he says we should go, we should go.

The three of us ran out of the mansion's front door scared and yet satisfied. When we arrived back on the street Monigami lived on, the house, and my clothes, turned back to normal. Jin'ichi and Takeyoshi were still mind blown from what just happened, mostly from those brief moments of me becoming a superhero. My reaction was no different, I went from nobody to super somebody in one day, that felt awesome!

"Wow. Just, wow. So this is what a Phantom Thief does." Jin'ichi said as I was hyped out of my mind for everything that happened from the past five minutes.

"I know! If this is what Joker, Skull, Panther and Mona usually go through, I can't wait to go back again!" I said completely excited – and aware that my clothes turned back to normal. "How did you do that Hakaru?! I wanna be a Phantom Thief too! What's your secret?" Takeyoshi jumped up and down despite him knowing we're back in front of Monigami's house. I tried my best to explain it in my own special way...

"Well… I think all I did was feel myself rebel against Monigami. I felt similar to how you felt about us Jin'ichi, I wanted to help you two and make things right. And all of a sudden, I just unleashed this strange spirit guy and he helped overcome my fear of rebellion." I felt kinda calm explaining that, but still, I couldn't believe I overcame my selfish cowardliness so easily. Jin'ichi nodded as he felt a deeper understanding of me, but Takeyoshi felt like he had to sum up what I said…

"So… all you have to do is get super mad and you turn into a Phantom Thief?" "Yeah, kinda…" I felt embarrassed seeing Takeyoshi try to understand what happened. Of course my answer made Takeyoshi excited, who wouldn't be after what just happened?

"Oh boy! I wish I was angry at Monigami!" Says the kid who's jumping for joy. Jin'ichi patted my back in respect, I simply blushed at this response: "Dude, you've got some strange looking powers. I'll take whatever you're having any day." "I appreciate all of this praise and all, but I think we're supposed to talk to HEX now." I said as I remember that Takeyoshi hasn't met HEX yet.

"Whoa… is he a Phantom Thief too?" Takeyoshi had the Phantom Thieves on the brain now that he knows what they do. So me and Jin'ichi had to clear things up to him… "Kinda, he's a special agent assigned from the Phantom Thieves to help us become just like them." I told him from the best of my knowledge. "I'm sure you'll like him, he'll be happy to lend a hand or two with our mission newbie." Takeyoshi gasped with hype after Jin'ichi called him a newbie. I think we might overexcite the kid if we aren't careful...

"N-Newbie!? Oh, wow! I'm officially gonna be a Phantom Thief!" "Heh. Say it, don't spray it kiddo." Jin'ichi pat Takeyoshi's head as we walked away before Monigami's parents would notice us.

We made our way back to the empty alleyway before sunset with Takeyoshi by our side. Normally kids like him shouldn't talk to a stranger like HEX, but if Jin'ichi wants to keep him, then so will I. Instead of taking time to actually think that if he should trust him or not, Takeyoshi said "Hi!" almost instantly the moment he laid eyes on him. That was fast, it took about 2 minutes for me to actually like him. As a matter of fact, he doesn't seem to be frozen up, he seemed completely able to move around just like we do after our first encounter.

"Is that a child with you?" HEX questioned – thank goodness Takeyoshi doesn't mind the voice. Jin'ichi raised an eyebrow in response: "Yeah. You got a problem with that?" I had more questions than answers as I wanted at least a few of them to be solved before I go home.

"HEX, I need to know what's going on. Why did Monigami's house turn into a mansion? Does Monigami actually curse? How did I turn into 'Hero'? What's going on here!?" I was confused as hell trying to rethink what just happened, but HEX did something unexpected which creeped all of us out…

He laughed to himself, stopping a few times at random points, the laugh felt completely deranged like those psychopaths I see on crime shows. My fears wouldn't spring up for some reason as I couldn't feel scared about him, Jin'ichi looked a bit shaken seeing someone laugh more crazier than him. Takeyoshi didn't mind the laugh, why doesn't he mind!? A kid like him should be the most scared of them all, maybe he's just unable to fear like I was.

"Ha...hahaha...hehah...heheh...hahaha... First time in the Metaverse I see? Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Jin'ichi, who was just as confused as I am, wanted answers too as he shrugged: "Get used to what? Why did all of this happen because of Harry's phone?" HEX went back to his lifeless state the second he was done laughing, and he looked frantically while sounding a bit serious.

"Okay. Listen good, because I'm not going to tell you all twice. The Phantom Thieves are going to plan their next heist soon enough and I don't want to overstay my welcome." HEX said worrying about other pressing matters of his own.

"Well, go right ahead dude, in case Takeyoshi doesn't understand, Harry will translate." Jin'ichi said giving me the thumbs up as I scratched my head in embarrassment: "Yep. I'm just that good at speaking kid I guess." I felt kinda silly wanting to translate to a kid, but I think he should be able to understand once he gets the memo.

"Which do you want to hear about first? The mansion, Monigami, or the power Hakaru gai-" Takeyoshi suddenly interrupted HEX as he felt extremely excited for whatever HEX is about to tell us: "The powers! Do the powers first!" HEX looked away from Takeyoshi as he looked at me again, why is he so interested in me? Am I really that special?

"Okay, Mona told me about these powers when I first joined up with them. What you've seen from Hakaru earlier was his rebellious spirit, which triggers if you rebel against the Palace ruler. He turned into 'Hero' because he knew that there must be justice served to those who are just like Kamoshida. What you saw come out of him was his Persona, which is a manifestation of said spirit. So basically, Hakaru got a superpower when he made Monigami know that he was not one to be messed with."

"A…. Persona…?" I wondered if this 'power to rebel' was connected to Hercules in some strange way, while the other two looked at each other and questioned HEX...

"How come I don't have one of those things yet? I was just as angry as Harry!" Jin'ichi wondered and Takeyoshi felt left out as well: "Yeah! I wanna Persona too!" HEX looked at Jin'ichi alone, as if he knew exactly what's about to happen to him next...

"You can't. Not until you find your heart, and then unleash the power." "How do we do that?" Jin'ichi said as I also couldn't understand that part. HEX cleared things up as he kept looking around and away from our faces: "Don't know. The reasons for awakening these powers will depend on how dedicated you are to your cause." Jin'ichi was trying to process this whole Persona thing while HEX kept explaining more about the world we were in...

"Now, about Monigami, what you saw back there wasn't exactly the real Monigami. He was rather a carbon copy of him known only as a Shadow. They represent a person's worst traits and their Palace is a representation of that power. In the Cognitive World, each person's most twisted desires are represented by those very Palaces. What you saw was the Mansion of Gluttony, the first Palace you assigned yourselves with. In each Palace, the ruler of that Palace can do whatever they want while simultaneously imagining the world as how they see it. Monigami saw the people of the world as a bunch of jackasses, so naturally there're asses everywhere. At this rate, his corruption will slowly take down the world just like Kamoshida almost did."

"Why that little prick…" Jin'ichi shook his fist when he heard that. What makes it worse is that he knows how terrible Kamoshida really is, so when he heard that name, he couldn't help but get upset. I wanted to help both Jin'ichi and Takeyoshi out, so I asked: "Is there anyway I can stop him?"

"Not by yourself you can't. Jin'ichi, tomorrow it'll be your turn to rebel." He stared at Jin'ichi as if he was the chosen one or something. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about this... "Whoa dog. Are you suggesting that I'll get a super weird ass looking spirit following me like Harry did?" HEX smiled as he kept explaining, the more he explained, the more I began to understand him…

"That's right. The kid isn't ready to unlock the power by himself yet, but I won't be able to entrust you with the secrets of the Phantom Thieves until you gather a team. Once you awaken Jin'ichi, then we'll talk about the details of each Palace you'll be visiting on your quest to save the world. I'll send you messages in the app in case any of you don't know anything about the mission. Good luck Hero, the fate of the world rests in your hands, and in the Phantom Thieves."

"I won't let you down HEX!" I said confidently. Jin'ichi smiled knowing that I'm finally taking things a little more seriously, Takeyoshi crossed his arms for some reason feeling a little jealous of feeling left out…

We got sent out of the alleyway again as me and Jin'ichi thought long and hard about what HEX said. I spoke up to Jin'ichi as I described how it felt when I awakened: "Jin'ichi, I don't know what's happening to me. Before all this I was nothing but a coward, someone who was selfish enough to leave his own friends behind out of fear. But now look at where I'm at, when I became Hero for the first time, I wasn't scared at all. In fact, I became more of a brave soldier than a coward."

Jin'ichi smiled and put his hand on my shoulder as he always does: "Harry, you are one very interesting kid. Like before, you saved me from a horrible fate, even if I couldn't figure things out by myself, you took a step towards danger and helped me when I needed it most. If you keep this up dude, you'll be a better person to not just everyone else, but to yourself as well." I sniffed a bit as Jin'ichi's inspiring efforts made me smile even brighter…

"I couldn't have been so brave without you Jin'ichi, if you didn't give me a reason to fight, I would still be a selfish coward. But now I'm a selfless coward!" I said confident in myself as Takeyoshi said something weird in a tone that feels distraught: "This doesn't feel right…" We looked down at Takeyoshi and he still has his arms crossed and a frown on his face. I tried to assure to him that everything was okay…

"Um, Takeyoshi, I'm positive that HEX isn't evi-" he interrupts me by shouting, and if there's one thing I hate from kids, it's their shouting. I learned that the hard way when my sister was born: "Then why doesn't he help me!? He said I can't get a Persona like you guys do, I'm just as angry at Monigami as you were, why should it be any different!?"

"I-I don't know! Maybe you.. uh… okay, listen I – well…" I tried to clear things up with Takeyoshi, but his angry child face was extra hard to dodge. Fortunately, Jin'ichi backed me up… More or less: "The kid's right. We get the fancy treatment while he gets the short end? That's pretty much the equivalent of Kamoshida being a celebrity and anyone better is garbage. But still, we don't exactly know how this other world works, I'm still trying to wrap my finger around this whole thing myself, but I think I know how we can make things even."

Jin'ichi straightens up Takeyoshi's cap and he quickly lightened up a bit as he wants to know what Jin'ichi has in mind: "How can you make things even? You have a Persona, you can fight really good, but what do I have?" Jin'ichi touched the spot where Takeyoshi's heart is while still keeping that happy-go-lucky smile: "You've got imagination, if this really is the world inside a guy's mind, then imagination could work better if we have something good in store to use it with. Tomorrow we'd better bring some weapons so that we can evenly fight any of those butler Shadow thingys."

"And we'll need your help to make sure we're extra prepared for the mission. You can bring anything you want, as long as you think it hits hard, what do you say?" I said following up Jin'ichi. Takeyoshi felt sure of himself again, but he needed the time to think things over, so he said: "I dunno, I'll see what I can find back at home, but I doubt it'll be any useful." "Then it's settled, we'll meet at the old junkyard tomorrow. You do know where it is right?" Jin'ichi asked Takeyoshi.

"Yep, the only one in Shibuya, just across from the supermarket. I know because I accompany my mom on her infamous shopping sprees." Takeyoshi nodded as my hand was on my chin and I thought about seeing Jin'ichi's place for the first time: "Yeah, come to think of it, I've never actually seen your house before." Jin'ichi points to me in his usual cool manner before saying: "But now you will, see you tomorrow Harry."

Takeyoshi said 'goodbye' too as he dashed in the opposite direction as he made it home before the night falls. It was about time me and Jin'ichi went to our homes too, and we swore never to tell anyone about the secret double life we'll be living from now on. When I made it home, my sister was expecting nothing less as she had already gotten used to me being late.

I went to bed after hogging some food that was on the table, because all that fighting left me famished, then I began to fall asleep as I began to dream about me being a hero. Unfortunately, that dream was cut short as I felt my cushions being replaced by cold hard steel. I tossed and turned trying to remain asleep, but when I opened my eyes I was greeted by a familiar sight...

I was in a jail cell wearing a black and white prison outfit for some reason and there's handcuffs on my hands. I got a better view of the room now that I wasn't as frightened. There were more jail cells on the outside that formed a giant circle, the color scheme was a nice blue velvet, and there were two young identical prison warden girls named Caroline and Justine. Each of them were wearing blue while the only difference I could see was the eye patch placement. One had one over her right eye, the other had one on the left.

In the middle of the giant room was a table and that creepy nose guy named Igor. His head was abnormally huge, he wore a nice black outfit, and I don't think he has the mental capability to blink... This was exactly how my last 'visit' to the room was, only that time they were trying to pick me for 'rehabilitation' or something before I chickened out. That happened a while back, when I was still too scared to do anything right, but this time I knew they called me for a reason. So despite my cowardly instincts, I managed to get a hold of myself long enough to hear what they're saying…

"There you are inmate! Relax, we didn't call you for rehabilitation this time." I remember that bossy little voice, it was Caroline. I never thought I'd see her angry face again. I managed to remember their names now that I had the same dream twice, but it doesn't exactly feel like a dream though...

"Our master would like to discuss a matter of urgency with you." And that's Justine, she seems perfectly calm and composed. I looked at Igor, the man who just can't stop smiling for some reason, I raised my hand as a sign of gratitude.

"H-Hi again Igor, long time no see, what do you want from me now?" I got that answer in no time as he spoke in a voice that's so low that it should get a reward or something:

"It would appear that you have agreed to a mortal's influence in power. When I gave you a chance, you denied your rehabilitation on the spot and let someone else take your place. But that is not why we summoned you here. It is much more severe than you think it is." Justine pulled out her notes, and to my surprise, she actually managed to sound a bit angry at me...

"Someone has taken control of the app we have sent to you before, and modified it for their own selfish intentions. And yet, you accepted their twisted version of power when you

should've accepted our assistance on your last visit." Caroline then got furious, remember what I said about me being afraid of kids getting angry with me? Well… she got angry with me..

"Are you trying to say that someone as minor as a mortal compares to the greatness of our master!?" I jumped back at her sudden snap and I shook my head extra fast in a panic: "What!? No! It's just that he gave me a chance to become someone special!" I tried to explain myself, but the girls wouldn't buy it.

"You do realize we could have granted you this power a long time ago." Justine said with a hint of discomfort. "But no, you just had to be a wuss about it and deny your rehabilitation!" Caroline was still mad, don't blame me, I wasn't the one who almost forced myself to agree to this cone-nose! Speak of the devil...

"Do not threat, there is still time to prevent yourself from going into ruin. There is another that's just like you wanting to change the world for the better. If you want to save yourself before the inevitable happens, you must be willing to comply to his own rehabilitation as well as yours."

"In English please…?" I had absolutely no idea what Igor was talking about, he was even more cryptic than HEX. Just for that, Caroline kicked the iron bars and I fell over. I guess this is what I get for being an idiot… "It means, get rid of that no-good version of the app you were given in the real world!" Justine then spoke after her twin: "Once the fake is removed, we'll replace the unstable copy with the original Metaverse Navigator to begin your proper rehabilitation."

"Unstable copy?" What are they talking about? Are they seriously saying that the version HEX gave me is that much different from the original? Did I mention how much Igor's voice terrifies me?

"What have you received was nothing but an illegal modification of the original. It has been reverse engineered to the point where anyone's cognition can be affected, and they won't even know it. If one were to say yes to a question, the illegal modifications to the app could make it so that person says no instead. With such unbalanced power, it'll greatly affect the rehabilitation of the 'trickster'. That is why we need you to abandon the false desires you cling to and accept the reality of your purpose. A purpose that'll prove to the world that you are not as useless as they think you are."

"My….purpose…" This meant that they were the original creators of the Metaverse Navigator. I wasn't so sure about this; If I accept their deal, then I might give up my job as a Phantom Thief, but if I refuse their offer they won't seem the kind of people who take 'no' for an answer.

I thought about it long and hard, but the fear of derailing from my current mission, and the fact that Igor's voice still creeps me out, just made me furious at them for trying to hold me back for some other person's 'rehabilitation'. Whoever they are, they can just handle their problems by themselves. I've got no time to listen to these guys blab on about some guy's journey when I have a Palace to invade! With all my might, I swallowed my fear and shouted at the top of my lungs...

"Hell no! I would never give up my dream of becoming a Phantom Thief because of some rehabilitation bullcrap! HEX gave me an opportunity when I wanted it the most, no way will I just give it all up! Also, if I remember correctly, that stupid app you gave me back then was a version 1.0. HEX gave me the version 2.0, so there's no need for any of you to keep bugging me! I clearly have something better, and yet you insist I'd give it up for something worse!? Just let me go to bed already and quit trying to talk me out of my damn job!"

I stormed back into my prison bed as I heard Caroline get even more pissed. But I didn't care, I simply went to sleep as their voices began to fade. And when I woke up in the morning, I was back in my bed, all snuggled in my blankets. As I ate some breakfast, I began to wonder what's going on with the new version of this Metaverse app.

If HEX has the unstable copy of the app, and he gave it to me, what does it mean if he somehow got his hands on something this powerful? Maybe I'll ask him later about what's going on. But for now, with no school today, we're going to spend the day invading Monigami's Palace and saving the world from his evil grin.

I called Jin'ichi over, and we decided to hang out at his junkyard while I dropped off Junko at a friend's house, and we waited for Takeyoshi so we can all invade the palace together. Still, I can't believe that this is happening to me. I'm becoming the heroes I finally wanted to be like! It doesn't matter what anyone else says, when there's trouble afoot and no one can stop it, I'll always be there to help!

Everything I did in my past made me act like a coward, but when I became a Phantom Thief, I've felt braver than I ever did before. No longer was I the coward I once was, I was becoming a hero in my own special way. And once Jin'ichi and Takeyoshi get their Personas, we'll use them to save the world from the evils of corrupted human beings, just like the Phantom Thieves do it. It's like I always say, well not entirely true but starting now, justice is best served with a rebellious spirit, and a side order of flashy capes.


	2. Chapter 1 (Jin'ichi): The Beast Within!

"Hey son, when are you going to be interested in crafting mighty machines like these?" "Look, I'll probably start as soon as I can spark enough inspiration. For now Kaito, you're on your own."

"But son, don't you have anything better to do than nothing?" "Actually, yes. I made a friend just the other day, but don't worry, nobody thought I've gone soft. I'm gonna start hanging with him tomorrow, if that's okay with you."

"Well, if it makes you happy, I'll support it, but we must never let anyone find out you've gone soft! If they find your weak spot, they might expel you for no reason!"

"Don't worry about it pops, I'll be fine. Besides, if he doesn't know the lingo, he'll end up just like me." "Okay… see you later Jin'ichi."

You see that bald headed, short sized construction worker who's always concerned about little old me? That's my dad, Kaito. He's pretty much a single man now that his wife disappeared for some reason. Even though my choices aren't exactly the best for my family, he just goes with what I've got because he knows I have the skills to survive in this dog-eat-dog world. We live in a junkyard near the Shibuya supermarket filled with everything one could need. It's got hammocks, BBQ grills, and whatever else people drop off. It's not the shabbiest place we've got, but I've grown to love the smell of junk and rust

As for me? I'm pretty much the roughest, toughest, strongest classmate in the country: Jin'ichi Sumula. People call me the beast and for a good reason too; They tormented an ordinary lion cub, and what did they find? That cub has claws as fierce as the king of beasts itself. I wasn't always this rough y'know, in fact, the only reason I became this aggressive was because the world wanted me to be tough.

No seriously, the world expected me to be a aggressive, easy to snap, woman rape assaulter. I'm all those things, except the rapist part, and I don't feel any bad either. Now you may wonder why I'm not kicked out of school yet, or you just want my secret to eternal life. Here's my suggestion: If your life takes a nosedive, turn around so that you land on your feet. In other words, if something goes wrong, and you have no idea how to fix it, I'd just go along with whatever rambunctious thing they said. That doesn't mean any of you people at home can do what I do, I had serious training to overcome this massive hurdle.

Y'know what? If I explained it like I am now, you'd just get stumped, so let's go back to the beginning of my life and see if we can guess where it went downhill. My childhood life was very ordinary, to say the least. I had friends who admired my skills as a beatbox pro, they were even ready to start a band with me.

There was Garu, the big one, Jamasu, the protective one, Jeri, the smart one, and Camo, the lazy one. I won't bother telling you what they look like, just picture them any way you want. I don't care, in fact, why bother telling you about people who don't even care about me anymore? But until then, that's all I had for companions. When one person shoved us, we'd shoved back, whenever trouble was afoot we weren't afraid to show its smug face to the door.

They practically helped me build my trading card collection, we shared some good times, and they always help each other in need. So basically, everything was going perfectly well for me, until my first days in Shujin Academy…

Don't get me wrong, I loved this place, and I used to like Kamoshida as our gym coach too, I know better now. Anyways, I was all set and ready to join the volleyball team, mostly due to me really wanting to stay active at the time, but of course something went wrong. I showed off in front of the guy with one hell of a smirk I pulled off, hoping I would get his attention. I did, but not in the way I'd expect it.

"No can do Sumula, the way you looked at me like some sort of goddamn moron, you're too annoying to play with the big leagues kid." the guy basically told me with anger in his voice that I was overshadowing the man that I wanted to impress. I'll tell you this, there was absolutely nothing inspiring about the tone of his voice, I was the center of attention for a brief moment because of a couple of trick shots, and then he just up and told me I can't play on the team.

That was the first sign that told me that Kamoshida wasn't who I thought he was. I was too much of an annoyance to join…? That sentence literally made me cringe at the thought of Kamoshida not letting me join just because of something so minor. I tried to get him on my good side by trying to impress him by doing stretches and running laps, but in the end, I guess I really was annoying him. But that's not even the worst part, oh no, whatever that Akira guy or even Ryuji suffered through was nothing compared to my situation…

It started as a simple detention, my first one of the school year, for absolutely no reason. I was only trying to get him to recognize me, but instead, he only thought of me as a pest. When I got out to ask my friends if they would walk home with me, y'know for comfort after that horrible treatment, they used this opportunity to make fun of my attitude and gang up on me! What the hell!?

They battered me up so hard, I was bruised all over, I had no idea why these guys turned on me like that, I was scared and confused as I shivered with both physical and emotional pain. I just didn't understand, they were perfectly fine with whatever ridiculous plan I had before, but why do they suddenly hate me!? That's when I heard one of them talk about me doing 'things' with women. What kind of bullshit was that!?

And to make matters worse, on the day after my first detention, everyone else was in on it! Most of the students picked on me from almost every opportunity, the teachers refused to acknowledge my highest scores, and I was accused several times that led me into the principal's office several times. They kept doing that to me every damn day, even going as far as to make up absurd reasons to punch me in the gut, it was madness I tell you!!!

My mother disappeared when she found out about the rumors. My dad said she's in a better place, but I don't think that's possible considering the condition I'm in. When summer vacation was fast approaching, I didn't study for anything, I didn't write down anything, I didn't even bother to say good morning like I usually do. When I got to school that day, people would say I've lost my mind, even though that's exactly what happened, I personally thought that I was asking for it. I just kept screaming like a maniac due to this sudden development regular people called paranoia…

"Hey!!! Aren't you going to give me a wedgie! You want a piece of me!? I'm all over the damn place!! You there, I know you're thinking about it, just punch me in the damn face already!!!" I screamed as loudly as I could, stomping all over the place shoving myself into other people, I even showed up late so there would be more people to beat me up! They wanted a pesky bug, I'll show them pesky! I can't even sleep at night anymore because of the abuse, so I blindly let loose everything I had inside and even threatened to rape someone if they didn't kill me.

I was so desperate and broken on my last day, I just wanted someone, anyone to abuse me to death that day. I had nothing better to live for, and even with my dad tending to my wounds, it didn't make any difference for my mental health. Thankfully, people finally decided to not hit me for no reason today, mostly because they either have better things to do, or they were tired of picking on me. Even the toughest guys weren't willing to abuse me for some reason, have I really devolved from a perfectly normal guy into some pathetic piece of scum!?

At this rate my life would never get back on track, not after giving in to all of this pressure. Luckily I've passed other tests before this, so that means the exams don't matter if I win or lose. That means, no matter what I do to soften the blow, I get to do another year of this bullcrap! If the students were aggressive before, imagine their reaction if they ever saw me again…

"Hey! Don't come near us, you piece of scum!" "Eww, that man is totally disgusting…" "You made a big mistake showing your face here again you whore!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs again when I got home, realizing all the torture I'll get when I return to school. As far as I could tell, my life was over, I could never go back to the way I was before because of those sick rumors! If I have to go through one more year of this motherfucking nonsense, I'll die! What did I even do to deserve this!? Nothing. That's what happened. Someone or something ruined my life, and now I'm desperate for payback. They must be laughing their ass off right now, but if I at least try to threaten them, they'll make me suffer more! What the hell is wrong with this school, what the fuck is wrong with this world!?

Being the worried father he is, Kaito came to comfort me in that little orange house we built in the junkyard. It's got two homemade beds, one's big the other's small, a neat little wooden table with a full kitchen, and there's an outhouse and a laundry machine outside. I was destroyed by my days at school, I cried my heart out trying to get my dad to get me out of this nightmare. But that's when he made that lecture, if it weren't for that, I wouldn't be here today…

"Son. There's no need to be afraid of school. I am well aware of the bullying and trash talking you've been getting. And yet, I believe you can overcome this if you try hard enough. When I was your age, kids used to hit me like a punching bag, so you know what I did? I hit them right back, maybe a little too hard for the teachers to handle, that's how I got my first detention. Did your first detention start with a punch?"

"No… Mr. Kamoshida put me in detention for absolutely no reason." I said with nothing to show off but my wounds. "And after that, your life went to hell?" What was your first clue dad? I slammed my fist into the table and shouted as the pain started to come back!

"Yes!!! I had no idea what caused everyone to turn on me all of a sudden, but they did and I hated every goddamn second of that!! I don't want to go to school if people just keep picking on me for absolutely no shitty reason!"

"Shh… calm down, we wouldn't want to wake the neighbors… You know, it sounds to me that Kamoshida was responsible for your troubles. Nobody started to hate you until after your detention, was there anything you noticed before life went the wrong way?" I thought for a second, and damn did the details land on there like flies on sandpaper...

"Huh…? Well, he was talking to a couple of students in the hallway during one of my classes. I just thought he was talking about special events, but now that I think about it... oh no... That man isn't just a celebrity, he's a fucking menace!?"

I slammed my head into the table hard, and I gave a muffled scream, not of fear, but out of pure, unfiltered, built-up, rage. That celebrity ruined my life, no, he wasn't worthy of such a title. He caused so much suffering because he spread one tiny lie around about me harassing women! What the fuck is wrong with that man!? I would love it if I were to slam his face to the ground, but I can't because that'll give people an even bigger reason to abuse me! There's absolutely nothing I can do to stop me from being picked on, I'd rather slap Kamoshida in the face rather than let myself get abused like this!

But then, it hit me, I just realized that if Kamoshida hated me for being better than him, what if I… yes, that's a wonderful idea! I confirmed this with Kaito as my head slowly raised from the ground.

"Hey dad? You say you worked as a repairman for the school right?" "Only the best in town, they aren't my only usual customer though."

"And you said you really could use the money to buy us a new home right?" "Um… r-right!"

"And I've been downgraded to a worthless slob who loves to lick a lady's pussy right!?"

"U...um... Rig-" "Well then, this worthless slob has a very stupid idea! And if it doesn't work, I'll happily settle with being homeschooled!! This idea will be absolute genius, with a guy like Kamoshida around, there's no way I can't lose!"

My dad was shaking in his boots as he was getting more and more uncomfortable in the room because of me, and trust me, I wanted him to feel uncomfortable. Now that I know that Kamoshida was responsible for my suffering, I couldn't help but pull off a wicked grin for the craziest idea ever...

I told my dad the ingenious plan, and you know how he responded? You see whenever my dad hears of a big money grabbing deal, he instantly turns his frown into a cheeky little poker face. He developed this during his years of gambling before his wife disappeared, and it still shows up today. He pulled that little money-making smirk he was known for, and he shook my hand as not just an act of vengeance, but rather a way to take advantage of Kamoshida himself. Kaito talked to the Principal and Kamoshida the next day, and he told me the conversation went like this…

"I heard from my son that there are some people who will do anything to get them off their backs. Have you noticed that he's coming back to school in a few months? You saw what happened back there didn't you Principal? He was abused in nearly every way possible just because he likes women, am I right?"

"W-well, not exactly…" "Please Mr. Principal, let me handle this… Your son has done all sorts of horrid things ever since he came to that school. Shoplifting, destruction of property, even to go as far as rape, that's why we went a little rough on him."

"Oh really? And if I'm not mistaken, you're all going to go 'a little rough' with him when he gets back, so let me strike you a deal." "H-Hang on, aren't you supposed to be the repairman that comes in every weekend and inspects the electrical devices? Why are you striking a deal with us now?"

"Just hear me out Sir Kobayakawa. What if instead of paying me every week, I'll do all the work you want on the systems for free?" "Huh!? You want to do your job for free!? But why?"

"Relax Sir, I've got plenty of other clients to work with, I'll be fine." "Hold on a minute, there must be some sort of catch to this… Nothing in life is free Mr Sumula, I should know. What exactly makes you think you can slip by without any additional conditions?"

"The Olympic star is right, I do have one, very small exchange for my service… You'll have to give me 1,000 Yen for each day my son doesn't get expelled, when he gets expelled." "What!?"

"That's right principal, you can either keep him locked up or spill the beans and lose your dinner. Also, no calling the police or else I'll stop working with you entirely."

"That's absurd! No deal!" "Oh? I thought Jin'ichi was a criminal in your eyes, wasn't that what you said Kamoshida? Bear in mind that I'll be constantly ready to repair whatever the school needs fixing for free. And isn't the great Kamoshida good at teaching bad kids a lesson? If you refuse my deal, then if my son goes down, I'll go down with him. I'll move away from here, and you'll lose the best mechanic the school has ever seen. And it'll also look bad on your account Kamoshida, letting a kid get bullied like that because he was better than you, that's bad enough to get you banned from the Olympics altogether! Accepting my deal is the only way you can properly get personal with that 'criminal' of yours. He's still interested in the volleyball team if you want to best his trick shots…"

"Now look here, with all due respect, there's no way this deal benefits ei-" "It's a deal!"

"What…? Mr Kamoshida, are you seriously going along with this man's sick idea?" "Shut up! Jin'ichi thinks he's so smart, doesn't he? When he goes back to school, I'll show him who's the real star of the Olympics! I swear, he won't even last the day with me…"

"I appreciate that my negotiation was a success. Just how long do you plan on keeping the beast locked up though? We'll find out soon enough!"

He told me the principal was shocked to see his own employee get away with an absurd money losing deal, but he is a bit relieved that he's actually getting someone to work for free. Kamoshida on the other hand was furious to see that I was still better than him, and he accepted the deal out of pride, what a stinker. My dad didn't budge the entire time he was making such a deal, he just smirked the whole way through and played Kamoshida for a fool. I'm glad my dad's a gambler, he picked up quite a few techniques to persuade people.

And with a single handshake, my fate has been changed. As soon as I got the memo, I worked at the gym non-stop all summer to get myself in top shape to get even with all of these jerks. I bought myself a leather coat, the middle of my spiked hair was dyed red, and of course, where would the tough guy be without shades? Now that I was walking the walk, I've gotta talk the talk, but how…? Just then, in the alleyway of Shibuya, I saw one of my 'former' friends...

"Hey Jin'ichi! Still pretending to be something you aren't? You really are a piece of trash, I can't wait to beat the ever loving shit out of you when you arrive at school in a few weeks!"

That's Jeri, he's usually the smart one, but even he had that foul look on his face. Every person who ever bullied me gave that look, and the more I thought about it, the more I hated it. A smirk, an insultable pair of eyes, and his left eyebrow is raised. I couldn't stand that face anymore, it was driving me up the wall! Everyday I had to look at that deranged face and everyone who had such a variation.

Jeri was even smart enough to know that he would never make that face, he just does it now just to make me think I'm helpless! It made me so furious that I was starting to growl like a savage dog, I found myself twitching and trying to hold back my fist. "Jeri was my friend, he doesn't deserve this!" I thought, but it was far too late for that. A real friend doesn't listen to people who have single-handedly ruined your life, a real friend wouldn't try to hurt you because you're messed up, a real friend wouldn't make that little, bitching, atrocious, cock-sucking, motherfucking, FACE!!!

I slowly inched my way towards him, all signs of any rational thought that I once had in my head was thrown out the window. I didn't care if he's my friend anymore, he knows that I have been suffering for so long, and here he is, mocking me without a worry in the world. It was like he wanted me to die, well too bad, I couldn't stand his face, I think he needs to know when to quit.

As I slowly approached him, Jeri tried to act cool with his smug face, but he was slowly losing it as his stupid face started to melt. "Hey! What do you think you're doing!? You can't do this, I am smarter than you, you should understand how it feels to be tormented! Uh… y-you bitch, g-go back to the trash where you belong! Um… easy now Jin'ichi, it's your old friend Jeri! You couldn't possibly hurt me right? You would never hit a guy with glasses right!?" I would if they wouldn't shut up about my pain, he's just trying to stop me so that he could tell on me and ruin my life even more...

I then charged headfirst into Jeri, and then slammed his face into the nearest wall as his once psychotic face turned into one who was shivering in fear and chewing on his lip. He attempted to look at me, but when he saw nothing but a monster in my eyes, he closed his eyes and he desperately wanted to scream.

I gave him something of my own to remember, I pulled the EXACT same face he pulled on me, only when I do it, I don't screw around. I'm pretty sure I could hear my eyebrow twitch harder as my grip on Jeri's shirt got tighter and tighter, and my voice began to change from the friendly helpless voice I was once known for into something that was exactly like he said: "Something that I'm not"…

"A piece of trash you say? Are you referring to me like I'm some bubble gum wrapper you threw out because there was nowhere else to put your rubber? Or maybe I'm like a toy train, yeah that's it. You all played with me as friends ever since we first met. I had the finest wheels to push me forward, a whistle to boot, and a cute little engine that runs smoothly. When you guys started tearing me apart, I was not just a piece of trash for you to dispose of. I was… broken. You all broke me and forced me to become something I'm not."

"Doesn't that sound kinda hypocritical if you put it that way? You say it's my fault that I'm becoming something I'm not, but what about you? You were so much smarter than what you are now. I know that you knew better, you can recite the alphabet backwards, you always scored higher than I ever could, and yet here you are, picking on a helpless little piece of trash who would bang your sister ten times before she cries. You know what else is a piece of trash. Everything. We're all trash in our own ways, I'm trash because I'm nothing but a womanizer to you, Kamoshida is trash for being a goddamn show-off, and even you Jeri."

"You, and all of your friends are trash. You are happy going along with whatever someone tells you, and yet, you never spent an ordinary weekend without studying physics and some geometry bullshit? You have to be the dumbest man I've ever seen in my life. It was you who caused me to become like this, and yet here you are, wanting to punch numbers into a calculator… will those be the odds of the day I'll die? You really hate me that much, to go that far into studying the way I suffer? You disgusting little child. If I ever see that face on your smartass body ever again, I'll show you what trash really looks like."

"Not that it matters, you've been living amongst trash since the day Kamoshida told you about myself. It's all Kamoshida's fault, can't you see that? It was him who told me about you, do you understand? If you can't, then you really are the dumbest man in the world. You think you're so smart? Just wait until your life gets ruined someday. Tell me, does that little calculator of yours tell you how the fuck can your life go wrong? Do the damn math, and be careful who you trust…"

And just like that, I knew what I had to do to get the message burned in people's skulls. If I can't have my life, everyone who makes that sick expression goes to hell. I think I might've overdid it on Jeri, because a couple of days before school, I came to his big apartment and knocked on the door. His father was a millionaire y'know, a genius scientist who worked with Mrs. Wakaba. He's always busy when I drop by, but his wife was always expecting company.

Despite her son telling her otherwise, she thinks I'm a nice guy, even before Kamoshida happened. "Whoa, I never expected you to show up looking so manly…" she said feeling like I've changed for the better, but in reality, I've changed for the worst. "Is Jeri home?" I asked, her face looks very distracted by my looks, but at the same time, she feels a little stressed as she tries to contain it with a smile. "He hasn't left the house in days, I'd bet it's because he finally forgot to catch up on his homework."

"Really now? Can I see him?" "Sure, but I don't think he'll like it. He's been saying all of these mean things about you that are the exact opposite of what I've seen from you before he started. Just recently, he was muttering to himself that you were a monster. Why would he say stuff like that, did something happen between you two?" I stay cool in front of a lady, as in one that doesn't give me the look of a madwoman.

Besides, if I told her the truth, she would surely kick me out, so I told her: "Nah, just a little fuss, nothing too big." "Alright, you know where his room is right?" "Just at the end of the hall, got it." I entered the place and it looks as swell as ever. Everything smells fresh and clean, they recently moved around some clean furniture, and everything seems to be tidy. I walked over to Jeri's room and saw a 'Do not disturb' sign on his door. That's weird, the only times he ever uses it is when he's dealing with withdrawal from a lady, or when he feels like he wants to be alone…

I opened the door and expected nothing less than a neatly made bed, unopened action figures on the dresser and a desk with a neat looking headlamp shining down on him. But immediately, I saw something was wrong; I saw that Jeri's room was all messed up, completely contradictory to his usual tidy self. We've got writing on the walls, messed-up bed sheets, paper is everywhere, the figures were tipped over, and there he was, on his previously cleaned desk struggling with his school.

Looking at his papers, the answers aren't straight on the lines like he usually does, he looks like he's looking at several books at once, and he looked bruised and tired even though the wounds weren't that powerful, let alone it all happened a few days ago. Seeing him struggle for the first time really meant that I screwed him up, can you blame me? He started this mess and now he's paying the price, but still I felt like this kid needs to stand up straight. Even after he kept making that face, I still felt like the guy could use a hand or two.

So I approached Jeri and placed my hand on his shoulders, this made him jump back a bit out of his rolling chair and do a small and quick scream. He backed up towards his bed and he was shivering while trying to act like he's tough, but I can clearly see the bags under his eyes and the tears emerging from them. "S-Stay back! D-don't come any closer! You, you're more than trash, you're an abomination against society! What the hell is wrong with you!? First you rape someone, then you shoplift for no reason, and now you're trying to kill me!? I don't understand!"

He closed his eyes waiting for the impact, but y'know, the kid's been through enough harm. If I don't get him back in shape, he's going to flunk it for the first time. So I told him, with my newfound carefulness: "I won't hurt you anymore dude. Heh, I never wanted to hurt you. You're smart in your own way, you certainly know how to make things more interesting. But the only reason I did try and hurt you was because you hurt me, in more ways than one. Have you ever once felt that something was off, that someone or something has been feeding you lies? You're the smartest kid I know, and yet you believe something that's not true, what happened to you pal?"

That's when he realized it. He caused this pain to me, because he thought he was punishing the outcast of society, but in reality, he was hurting his own best friend in the world. His tears went from drips to pours in a manner of seconds as the smartest kid in the world felt like a fool. "I-I'm so sorry! I was just doing what everyone else was doing! I d-didn't know you were hurt by all of that! You d-did nothing wrong, right?" "That's right. This whole time, I was perfectly fine with all of you, in fact, I never had a reason to hurt any of you until you hurt my feelings, my body, and my mind…"

I spoke from the heart, I haven't tried that since I was begging for the pain to stop. This caused Jeri to hug me as an apology, but after all of that, I don't think he deserves forgiveness. He wants to go back, but why hang out with trash like me? He deserves someone much better, much better than me anyway. After all he and his friends did to me, I wasn't ready to go back, not like this. I pushed him away, with regret and a bit of coldness in my tone: "Sorry, it's too late. If you stayed with me any longer, you would just believe something even stupider, and I still hate the way your face looked when you were picking on me."

"Y-you don't forgive me…?" He said about to cry again, but I smiled while I straightened his glasses as I helped him up from the floor. "Hey, don't cry. Your knowledge is more valuable to you than some unworthy scumbag. And besides, won't people judge you for hanging with me, the worst man in the world? I'd suggest you keep getting those perfect scores for me, just because I won't hang with you anyone doesn't mean you won't have my support. Tell you what, you get that big fat A on your math test and I'll be proud of you. Just never hurt anyone, or make that face, again, you're a good boy, too innocent to be picking on scum like me."

Jeri smiled a bit while wiping away his tears, he was usually the most emotional of the bunch who always cries during romance and horror movies. As for me, well I've pretty much accepted that I'm a little piece of dead horse shit, but what happens when you beat on a dead horse? It gets tired of being dead and bucks those losers into the air. I might as well warn Jeri ahead of time, because with circumstances like this, there's no turning back.

"Just one thing though, the second school comes in, I'll bash everyone who ever made fun of me right upside the head. I want you to warn my old crew about me, tell them that I won't harm them anymore as long as they don't hurt me. Understand?" Jeri nods at my seriousness as I prepared for the big day. I never thought I'd have to do something this violent to people, and if it weren't for Jeri's last minute insult, I would've definitely not been ready for something like this. But alas, the tables have turned, and an old veteran is coming back stronger than ever...

On the first day of a new school year, several of the students, aside from Jeri and his friends and several others not worth mentioning yet, were parked in front of the school waiting for me to show up to abuse me. Look at them all, they all carry those same, wicked, evil, stupid, ass-licking, motherfucking, bullshit, faces!!!

This pissed me off more than ever, it was me against nearly an entire school, and you know what? I was going to enjoy seeing those faces turn into the same face I always made against them. They think they can poke a bear huh? Well I've got news for you, you mess with the bull, you get all the shit it had to endure for the other half of a school year!

I grabbed the wooden chair I got from home, and then, with a moment of hesitation, I charged right at the crowd. At first, they thought it was some dumb attempt to cover up my weakness so they laughed a bit, but then they heard me scream at the top of my lungs. It sounded like a genocidal killer, filled with nothing but rage at the ones that have shamed him. Everyone stopped laughing, and when their stupid faces wouldn't leave their body, I gave them a good reason to stop!

I thrashed every damn jerk who ever made fun of me, it was a sight to behold. I didn't have the guts to kill them, that is, at least not yet, but still it felt so good to finally become rough and tough like they said. When I was through with them, no evidence but the blood remained, not even one tiny picture or video. I almost hit another one, but this one had that same expression of the feeling I had. The broken mind, the crying, the people somehow cheering for me to hit him was kinda freaky. I decided to stop there and not lay a finger on him.

That kid was just like me, had I hit him back then, he would've turned to the dark side like I did. I decided to give a nickname to those kinds of people, the ones where rumors get the best of their lives, either that or are just flat out ruined in general. I called them 'poor boys', in other words, they're people like me who have no place in life, but unlike me, they still have a chance to turn things around. After a couple more paybacks, that damn Kamoshida came out, trying to completely ignore what I just did, and spoke with that fucking smile on his face….

"Hey Jin'ichi. You still want to join the volleyball team? I would be happy to let you join if you would stop hitting people with chairs…"

And how did I respond? I flipped the old bird at him which hurt his pride and caused the second of my many detentions. I had no intention to join the volleyball team now that I'm 'too annoying', I flipped that bird without a care in the world. I also made a side bet with him, another offer he couldn't refuse.

I said to him after he wrote down a detention slip: "Let's make ourselves a deal shall we? You keep me in the game, and I won't harm your precious volleyball team. I don't care what you do unless it hurts me in some way, but if you do as much as make me get abused again or even expelled too soon, I'll fucking kill you. All of that pride you once had will be gone, people will slowly forget about you, and soon you will never be the star you once were at the Olympics. Keep me alive, and I won't interfere with you any longer. So which will it be? Me, or your pride?"

He took the latter, he was extremely angry with me now that I've got him under my foot along with Kaito's deal. If I don't harm him, he won't harm me, it's almost too perfect. From now on, my days at school went like this: Every time I arrived at school, I looked for anyone willing to pick on me, the maniacal screams I did made it harder for anyone to pick on me. I never stopped breaking the dress code, I always ate by myself, and all of my seriousness has tamed these mindless psychos of their pleasure.

A few months back, they would force me to eat a bug. Now? I pretty much eat a bug if there's nothing good going at the cafeteria. I also occasionally buy food from the supermarkets with the money I get from my share of the family job. And after the day was through, even if I wasn't in trouble, I already was trouble. I always go to the detention room and it gives me the opportunity to nap.

Now normally a day like this will expel you all the more quickly, but not me. I used Kamoshida's cockiness to his advantage, and since he was the one who agreed to the deal, he's supposed to take care of this. Too bad he has problems of his own to worry about, problems that I spy on under the bleachers or behind a door.

I figured out from my time spying on the guy that he is an abusive, megalomaniac, pervert who pushes the students to their limits. I'd think that Kamoshida unintentionally helped me dodge a bullet, but that still doesn't help the fact that I had to suffer because of this asshole. About 30 days into this deal and the price the school had to pay was starting to go off the charts. Things were looking pretty upbeat for me, as no one has exposed me yet. But one day, I found a guy who has the look of someone with potential.

That kid was Hakaru Yumasu. The teacher introduced him to the class as a confident kid who just moved from the old farm-life. His eyes were green, his brown hair was that familiar messed up bed hair, and he wore the appropriate uniform like everyone else. He looks average, but I'm not so sure he understands what the fuck is going on.

This guy has no idea what kind of hell he's stepping into. He scored a seat next to me, which 'was a good seat' said nobody ever. But he didn't mind, he actually started to like me when he first set his eyes on me. He stared at me, not like a creep, but in such a way that he looks like a fan. Has he heard of my actions? Nope, he's only a new kid after all, he doesn't know the messes I get into, I might as well give him what he wants.

I went down a path that led to the lunch room that has a bunch of bad people. Hakaru saw as I knocked down guy after guy and even pulled a girl's hair. Why would I do that? She was about to post a hate comment on a social network channel, she had nothing to do with Kamoshida, but I did it because she pretty much knew she had it coming. At the lunch room, I sat down at my table for one, eating my t-bone steak without a care in the world, as I watched Hakaru make a choice whether to trust me or not.

He doesn't seem like the guy who would look for trouble, as a matter of fact he seems pretty darn scared of me. I'm not taking it personally, that's common amongst the cowards who tried to get into me. "Jin'ichi!" yelled a familiar voice, I looked over and saw that, unfortunately, today was a pretty bad day for Hakaru to show up, because this was also the day my friend Garu, the big one, wanted revenge for what I've done to the school. He was about to approach me before Jeri tried to stop him in his tracks by grabbing his arm, he sure knew what was going on, he might be one of the lucky few who do know what's happening…

"No! Please Garu, you can't do this! Jin'ichi is insane, you can't beat him!" Jeri said in a panic, but Garu wasn't having it so he stared at him hard enough to make him let go. What came next was very out of character for Garu, of all people: "Stand aside Jeri, this man has tormented this school long enough. I am tired of seeing you guys suffer because of him, I'll personally make sure he gets what he really is!"

Oh dang, looks like he didn't take my new style very well. He's walking towards me with no urge to make my life hell, but to make sure I don't cause anymore hell. Maybe I should've done something about him sooner, but that smell, he actually remembered to take a shower? Bravo dude, you may be pissed but I couldn't be happier to know that you took great care of yourself. I looked at the enraged boy with a carefree smile, like I've done this so many times it's kinda amusing to me now.

"Hey Garu, long time no see. You're looking as strong as ever, you even managed to properly wash your clothes today, I'm impressed." And then the guy just grabs me, invading my personal space and interrupting me while I was eating my lunch. What's his problem? He used to be so calm about my sarcastic attitude, but now he's pretty damn pissed. I can see the flame in his eyes, he's not just wanting revenge, he's wanting blood to fly!

"You... you have ruined this school! It used to be fun for us all, but then you had to assault a lady didn't you!? And it only got worse from there, no matter what we did to you, you just got back up! When you showed up at school after summer, you almost destroyed nearly everyone in this school! Why are you doing this, answer me!!" Oh great, he thinks what everybody else thinks. I have to think fast or else this guy is going to give me a bad day!

So I threw my bones from the steak at the big guy to distract him, dodged a few punches, gave him the closest trash can I could find at him and then pushed the can knocking both Garu and the can over. Nothing personal dude, just honest emotional output. There's plenty of other people in the room, including Hakaru, I'm surprised he'd last this long watching me. So I yelled as loud as I could as I thrashed against Garu for getting this worked up over a little rumor...

"Why? It's simple, you all blame me for something I didn't do, and the more you did it, the less I enjoyed it. Aren't you supposed to be protecting others!? Are you trying to save them from me!? They don't need your help, especially if you plan on picking up someone while they're eating their lunch!!!" I'll admit I sounded rather fussy about losing my lunch, but I guess it's worth it to give this guy what he deserves. I pinned his arms behind his back with my legs and aimed for the face with my punches. I think I must've hit him 30 times or something before the egg-man principal and his cronies came by and stopped our fun.

I must've given Garu quite the spook, because he certainly doesn't want to be near me after what happened right there. Now normally, I would be the one to blame in this situation, but as part of the deal, I had nearly identical protection that Kamoshida has so that means: "Jin'ichi, is this kid giving you trouble?" asked the principal. That's right folks, just because he's head of the school, doesn't mean he's not easily persuaded. If Kamoshida can be covered up, so can I, that was one of the conditions of the deal.

"Yep. He picked the fight, and he picked poorly. That's thirty detentions so far, I will turn myself in this afternoon as usual, but it looks like I'll have company this time. isn't that right, ex-friend?" Garu looked pretty spooked by my smirk, but it just feels good to actually fight someone who was at least a bit as angry as I was. He shook his head and screamed as he was slowly being taken away to the school hospital: "He's a monster!"

What a success, I do this thing so often it's like a show to me. Try me and lose and I just announce my victory. Some of these students love my violence, but everyone else just can't look away or tell anybody else. Luckily, they stick around long enough for me to dramatically announce my victory over someone tough. As I eat the rest of my steak from the floor, as a little nitpic for the neat-freaks out there, I end my show as I walked towards my table for one!

"Don't worry about me, just continue eating your food and enjoy the rest of the school day. I'll be happy to sign autographs for those of you who actually care about me, then again who would care about me? I'm just nothing but a slug to you all am I right? Can slugs do what you just saw though? Maybe they could if they got people who pick on somebody who doesn't mean anything. Thank you, I'll be here all year!"

*Sigh* It's good to be someone who bends the rules. No progress on Kamoshida again, which is a bummer, but I hear he's attempting to run the track team next. What a dick. Hakaru seems to be enjoying me, because he's probably never seen anybody like me before. I think I'll let him follow me around for a while and then I'll acknowledge his existence the next time I fight.

When I was casually walking toward the detention room, while shoving almost everyone who was in my path, this guy wouldn't let me out of his sight up until he bumped into, goddamn it, Kamoshida. Kamoshida seems to like him, and he likes him back, which is a bad sign. The fool thinks liking the pervert will make him feel more special, yeah, specially ruined that's what it looks like to me! I had to set this kid straight or else he'll make the same mistakes I did…

So I walked up to the guy, but he was too busy daydreaming for a second until my presence got his attention. He was a bit shy and a coward at heart judging from his face, which looked kinda bashful and embarrassed. I shouldn't even be engaging in conversation when I'm this tough, but in the case of a potential 'poor boy' I'm willing to make an exception…

He talked about how he thought Kamoshida was a good guy, but he should know by now that bringing up Kamoshida in that context was going to make me barf. I got the guy a few hints of suspicion, but mostly due to a bad first impression, but hey, if people don't listen to you the first time, knock some sense into them. Besides, they should be more concerned about their own safety than some superstar.

I stormed into the detention room as Hakaru stood there and thought about what I said. I may be long gone, but I'm not entirely a monster, this guy deserves to know about my entire situation. So the next few days were pretty average, nothing too special here yet. But then, the next day after that was where things got interesting...

You see Ryuji Sakamoto was always the favorite of the old track team. I was inspired by his badmouth nature and his cocky attitude. He had tons of shit to put up with at the time, but the one defining thing he did that day was punching Kamoshida in the face!

That felt so satisfying seeing Ryuji attack first without hesitation. I would love to take a swing at Kamoshida too, but I'm just afraid I'll get kicked out before my dad can make enough money. But still, the guy did something so satisfying that I ended up dying a part of my hair yellow in honor of the dude. But alas, no thanks to Kamoshida, Ryuji became a 'poor boy' and now everybody hates him. But still, the way he lashed out at him because he was tired of his nonsense, if it was me in his shoes, I would've done that a long time ago.

And so, I'd bet that 'Harry', my signature nickname for Hakaru, heard about this too. So after my detention, I told him all about myself. And it was only a matter of time before me and him slowly became good friends, although we don't show it at school due to people thinking I'm too tough for friends. We kept our friendship private for a long time, long enough to see some guy named Akira Kurusu move here.

He looked like any other black shirt and plaid pants guy with fuzzy hair and circle glasses. Unfortunately for us, he just broke the world record for the fastest time to become a 'poor boy'! People already started talking about him assaulting a woman somehow and punching a man. Of course Kamoshida was responsible for this, who wouldn't be responsible for rumor spreading?

I don't believe those rumors, so I just assume the opposite. I think the man was assaulting the woman, and Akira punched the man out of bravery, but it looked to the fuzz like Akira was the one picking on the woman. Harry occasionally tries to buddy up with Akira, and man was he persistent on making him feel a little welcome. He also developed a crush on Shiho, she's a nice black ponytailed girl with good intentions, but she's in the volleyball team, the very place with Mr Pervert. Goddamn you Kamoshida, why must you take everything that's great in the world and beat it to death?

After that, things got worse. And I mean a whole lot worse. First off, some kid named Mishima took a volleyball to the head. Not that it matters since he's technically not a 'poor boy' yet, he was actually kinda pathetic, since his life wasn't exactly ruined by rumors yet. Hey, we can't all be positive.

Second off, Harry's crush Shiho was called in by Kamoshida one day, and I just wish that he didn't do that to her out of all the ladies out there. And then the next day, a glove slapped me in the face that told me just how bad Kamoshida really is. Shiho jumped from the school roof and surprised us all. Harry was crying all over the place, he knew her very well, and we were lucky that she survived. Harry couldn't handle the pressure, he wasn't able to think straight after what just happened. I shook him as hard as I could to get his attention and I expressed my thoughts about the suicide, and I knew this was going to hurt the both of us now that I'm all wound up!

"Harry! That was the stupidest thing Kamoshida has ever done! Who in their right mind takes a beautiful lady like her, and then shoves their goddamn cock in her business!? She had absolutely no grudge against him, nobody did! But now she's broken with no other way to get back at him! Why the fuck would he even do this!? All of this was because of fame, WAS MY ETERNAL SUFFERING APART OF THAT FAME YOU SON OF A BITCH!?!?" I'm glad Hakaru couldn't process my rant, I said some pretty stupid shit right there, and it took awhile for Hakaru to recover so I tried hard to avoid getting him even more worried.

I tried to calm down, I really tried, but then I overheard two guys talk about something. Under normal circumstances, I couldn't care less what they're thinking, but now? I just had to listen up and pray that nothing even more terrible happens to this school. And then, while already in my wound up state, I listened to the worst thing I ever heard…

"Did you hear? Some kids named Akira, Mishima and Ryuji are about to be expelled..." "Yeah I know, what a bunch of losers!" Are you serious…? You could've just done Mishima and I would've been alright with it, you could've done Akira only and Harry would hate that, but when you take two boys and mix them with my man Ryuji, THEN we have a serious problem!!

I would've been perfectly fine with anyone but him, I didn't even get a chance to introduce myself yet! But why!? Why the hell would they expell all three of them!? Mishima was the true innocent one, Akira was framed, but Ryuji didn't do jack-shit until Kamoshida screwed with him!! I couldn't take this pressure, so I stormed on over to the two jerks and they never saw me coming...

"Huh!? J-Jin'ichi!? I didn't know you were-" I shut them up for a bit by smashing their heads against the nearest wall, I completely ignored Harry's fragile state as I screamed wildly looking for answers: "What the fucking hell did you say about Ryuji!?" "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't m-mea-" "Spill it!! What the fuck is going on with Ryuji!?" "W-Well, M-Mr. K-Kamoshida said he'll expel three students in a few weeks." "Y-Yeah, A-Akira, M-Mishima, R-Ryuji..." No… he wouldn't dare… Just when I thought the school was safe for me to play with, it reveals a little motherfucking choke-hazard named Kamoshida!

Up until this very moment, I hated Kamoshida, but I never had a reason to downright kill the bastard! But now Ryuji, the very guy who had the guts to stand up to him, the guy who became a 'poor boy' to help set an example, and now Kamoshida is trying to get rid of him!? What kind of nonsense was that!? He didn't do anything wrong at all! Everything he did against you was actually provoked by you and now you want to expel him for something he never did at all!? I blindly thrashed the two kids in my grasp, I think I almost killed them, but I don't care, I just want my symbol of hope to stay that way!!

I walked back to the shaken Harry, as I told him while completely engulfed in rage: "Harry! Same place as usual! Don't be late!!" At that point I lost my mind, but not before warning Harry about my condition. I was well aware the school knew about Kamoshida and his problems, and yet they covered him up just like when I got covered up too like an old blanket. I'm alright with anything Kamoshida does unless it ruins lives, but this triple threat of a day was way too much for my mind to take in!!

The next day, I had begun to seek my revenge on those who were even thinking that Kamoshida was good! I beat up whoever insulted Ryuji, I threw a goddamn chair at one of my teachers, anything to let people know I meant business. The only people I didn't hurt were the 'poor boys' and let me tell you this, it wasn't easy restraining yourself in front of those who suffered. I swear every time I saw Kamoshida's face from then on, I wanted to kill him so badly. But I didn't, yet…

One day, I somehow got the attention of the school council president Makoto Niijima. She looked at my battered up state strangely calmly, like she was used to it by now. I couldn't resist her stare at me so I tried to mellow down a bit for her. "Hello. I see you have been busy, no person in their right mind would go around letting his rage get out of hand without getting caught." Makoto said without a hint of fear. What does she know?

As I tried to stay calm around this particular lady, I let my revenge get in the way of a chance and asked her: "Do you like Kamoshida?" her answer was plain and straight to the point. "No. As a matter of fact I hate his actions as much as you do. I suppose lashing out on other students and even the teachers is your answer? Tell me Jin'ichi, why is that?" "BECAUSE! Because everyone believes they like him when they shouldn't, they are all suffering because of him, and yet I'm the one who has to set them straight! I'm the one who has to make sure nobody gets hurt! He's been keeping too many secrets, and nobody even knows how they truly feel about him!"

I was breaking down before I knew it, but Makoto kept a straight face: "The people around Kamoshida were the ones keeping his actions secret. Adults who wish to share in on his accomplishments, students who have the drive to become winners, they willingly protect him so that they all may profit from it." I snapped like a twig right there, her straight face was starting to loosen up, but does it even matter right now!? "But why!? He deserves no protection from these people! Everyone has their own lifes to live, and you're telling me that they can't do anything right because Kamoshida is a fucking celebrity!? Are we just going to forget all the pain and suffering he caused upon me and everyone!?"

"No. We won't forget, the near-death experience of a fellow student has been etched into our brains. Just keep in mind of your own actions, if you go as far as to abuse people and force them to believe something even if they already believe it, you'll be no better than Kamoshida." I tried not to listen to that, but she kept a goddamn straight face this whole time, I was about to snap again before I heard Harry call my name: "Jin'ichi, please… don't be like this!"

"I'll leave you two alone, you look like you need his help." Makoto walked away in Harry's direction, which left me a chance to run away from him. I can't let anyone know that me and Harry are friends, or else they'll gang up on poor Harry… He kept trying to reconnect with me, but I ignored him to the point of pretending he doesn't exist. This was to keep him safe from being targeted by the other people at school. I knew how savage they would get if even one little rumor was tossed around, so before my rampage I told him never to associate himself with me until the whole thing blows over. I think I may have upset him a little, but it's not my fault, it's Kamoshida's.

This was also to help give Harry a bigger reason to stand up for himself, without me around to help, it's up to him to decide what the fuck should he do. Unfortunately, Harry couldn't take the pressure either, and he felt like he couldn't do anything to help anyone. Goddamn it, Kamoshida has toyed with us for long enough and now my best bud feels useless, this couldn't be any worse. But just when I thought I'd never recover from my mental state, Hakaru told me to meet up with him at our usual spot one night.

That's when he brought me a calling card from someone only known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. I had no idea who they were, but boy did my face began to light up again after hearing that they'll steal Kamoshida's desires and reveal the truth about his personality. Could this be it? Will Kamoshida finally be kicked out of the school? I know it's too good to be true, but at this point I didn't care who does it!

I burst out laughing when I found out, and man did I feel free! After so long, Kamoshida will finally confess the truth! I couldn't contain myself any longer! Hearing this news made me laugh a bit before going straight home to my relief! When I got home, I even told my dad about this and believe me, he too felt proud of me for sticking to the end. When Kamoshida didn't show up tomorrow, we took that as a sign that things were finally starting to look up!

I celebrated this occasion when Kamoshida spilled his beans with popcorn during his confession and a trip to Big Bang Burger with Harry afterwards. And without Kamoshida to personally attack me, the school will be stuck with me until the day I graduate. Although, because Kamoshida is gone, I'll have to take it easier on the students, now that there's no Kamoshida to ruin their lives. And then on that very same day came all that stuff that Harry did, and boy did I underestimate his potential.

The app he had, the Phantom Thieves becoming real, his transformation into 'Hero', all of this was brought by some guy in an alley. I normally stay away from people like this, but there's just something about this guy who knows exactly what I want. Today was supposed to be the day that I awaken next, but I had little clue as to how to do it. Basically, all I needed was one hell of a grudge, y'know, something bigger than the grudge with Kamoshida, and then I'll rebel and gain a Persona thing like Harry used.

But dang, this whole thing about becoming a real Phantom Thief sounds legit, and what's more, the first target we picked had a big honking mansion for us to explore. It would be a shame if this strange location wasn't exploited for fun, that way, everyone gets happy. Takeyoshi is a kid, he wants to have fun, Harry desperately needs to know how to have fun with whatcha got, and as for me? Once I set foot in that mansion again, I'm going to see just how much of a grudge I can have with a single kid named Monigami...

I was personally looking forward to heading back to Monigami's mansion. It might give me a better chance to be prepared for anything bad now that we know what to do. So, while we waited for Takeyoshi to get himself ready, I finally showed Harry the old junkyard. His reaction was him just being very confused and impressed at the same time as usual. I could tell because he scratched his head while smiling like the friendly dork I knew to love.

"Whoa… I didn't know you and your dad ran an entire junkyard…" I felt accomplished hearing the guy be amazed by all this stuff me and Kaito share. I showed off with a smirk as Harry took a look around the place.

"Yep. It's my home. We're pretty much the best fixer uppers in the city. Our school likes our business enough to keep supporting it. My father is a master at making machines, and can help reverse engineer literally anything." "That's amazing Jin'ichi! With your mechanic skills, we can design some weaponry for our next visit to Shadow Monigami's mansion." Harry sounds like he needed my support. To think that this optimistic guy was a coward was an overstatement. He's actually a pretty encouraging guy once you get to know him.

"Yeah baby, although my dad is out and about doing jobs for people. But he said I can borrow whatever I can in case of an emergency." "Yeah! And Monigami's existence is a major emergency!" "You can say that again!" I recognize that last voice from anywhere, it's the little guy Takeyoshi! The little kid with an eye-patch, he was with us on our last adventure and even though we nearly got killed, this just meant we weren't trying hard enough, that's all.

It was my idea to bring him with us, we may have suffered a bit but the important thing is that we should be more prepared in the future. Takeyoshi looked amazed at how much stuff I got. He giggled a bit as I waved hello to the little guy. At first, Harry didn't want him to come with us, but now he's just as excited as I am. What can I say? He's a sucker for kids like him, but then again, he has a sister, so I shouldn't poke fun at his decision skills until he needs the poke.

"Takeyoshi! Nice to see you again." I said giving him a nice high-five. "This is where you live Jin'ichi? It looks pretty big!" Said Takeyoshi observing the mountains of junk. "Ehh, I try." I shrugged like it was nothing, it wasn't that unimpressive, but the sight still looked very neat to the boys.

"Now hang on Takeyoshi, I saw a hint of jealousy in your tone of voice once you found out that Jin'ichi was next to awaken." Harry's right, I caught a glimpse of envy in the kid's voice when he left for home. He was just jealous that Harry got a Persona and now I might get one today. He looks happy now, but I can't help but pity the kid. Now that I mention it, what is even with these Personas? Are they some sort of wild ghost following you around, and what was with that greenish glow Harry did with Hercules?

Back to reality, Takeyoshi responds to Harry's statement while being pretty happy about his circumstance for some reason. "I'm not complaining, I still wanna kick Monigami's butt! So that's why I brought a sword!" He pulls out his 'sword' from his pocket. It was the most impressive stick out there, it looks like it came from a tree in his garden, and it looks kinda like a sword when flipped around. I clapped a bit knowing the kid's got a good taste, but Harry says: "That's just a stick…" Dude, do you have to point everything out? Save it for the Palace.

"Not just any stick, I've kept this stick in my room since I was young and it never broke! This is my ultimate weapon of choice, I never used it for combat purposes before, but what better time than now?" Whoa, the kid is getting dramatic. He must've got that sort of knack from a movie.

"Yeah, but aren't you a little worried what might happen to you if…" "No Harry, the kid's right. We need to get ourselves armed and ready if we're going back in. My personal bet would be the old crowbar." I grab one from a nearby toolbox, still as rusty as ever. Harry was, of course, impressed by my weapon choice...

"Of course! It's great for opening boxes, let alone opening up bodies, and it helps a lot when it comes to breaking stuff!" Harry smiled yet again as I took a few practice swings for myself. "Hey! My stick can wake up my dad you know!" Takeyoshi does a few practice 'pokes' to sharpen his skills as a thief. I do like the kid, but I wish he picked something like a toy gun.

"Yeah. So Harry, what weapon will you take with you? We got swords, old bombs, you name it." Harry suddenly got prideful and denied any use of weapons on the spot. He pulled off the biggest smirk I've seen from him and he went from worrisome to cowardly overconfident. He must've been ready for this too y'know.

"No need for that kind of stuff! A real hero uses his fists when he fights, which does beg the question, how the heck did I punch so hard in my first battle? I mean, normally when I punch something I end up with a bruised fist rather than an injured rival. But this felt really weird, do Phantom Thieves get this kind of power when they first awaken?" Harry had questions on the brain, everyone does at this point. Just what kind of hot fever dream did we drag ourselves into?

Oh well, he asks, I deliver: "Obviously yes. How else were they supposed to succeed at their heists?" Takeyoshi tapped his foot impatiently as he was more than ready to go: "Come on, Hakaru! I can't wait to see what fun awaits us inside Monigami's mansion! I want to make sure I see every inch of this amazing place!"

"I personally want to see that 'special' collection he was talking about. Let me guess, it is a collection of people who got angry at him?" I took a lucky guess and Harry added on to that: "I don't think it's that simple. If it really was just that, he would've included you two in there ages ago." "Yeah! But instead he imagines us as donkeys!" You said it best Takeyoshi, your childish anger is right on the money. I hate being treated like an ass, and I couldn't help but wonder...

"But what makes that collection so different from the others?" Hakaru then took his own shot at lucky guessing: "If you ask me, I think it has something to so with how some people treat him like a jerk." Little Takeyoshi couldn't help but swing his 'sword' around when he heard that...

"Well I personally don't care how he feels, I just wanna get my hands on him and cut him to pieces!" I place my hand on his shoulder once he stops taking swings. I smiled confidently as I said to him: "You and me both pal. Are you ready to rock 'Hero'?" Harry is Hero in that world, and when he heard me put it that way, he got even more excited: "Hell yeah Jin'ichi! We'll show that Monigami fella whose boss!... or rather his other self. Also, did I cuss? I'm very sorry…" Now he's embarrassed again. That's what I like about you Harry, you're always a momma's boy.

"Heh. Never change a bit Harry. Alright, same place as last time right?" "I'll lead the way!" Takeyoshi points his stick to the sky like the towers of the city, it looks like the kid is starting to develop some brave-hearted skills of his own. Call me impressed, I give the kid a thumbs-up, nothing says I like your style better than a good thumb pointed upward. It's practically the opposite of flipping birds, which makes it more satisfying to perform.

"Okay! But remember we're supposed to be private agents of justice, just like they do. So let's not tell anyone about our plan, okay?" Harry brought this up while trying to be his cautious old self, so we could stay undercover, y'know, without causing trouble.

"You got it." I agreed with Harry... "They won't believe me anyway, let's go! I can't wait to see that big building again!" ...and Takeyoshi agrees with Harry, it's a unanimous decision. With bright smiles on our faces, we did a together fist bump as me and Takeyoshi brought our backpacks out to fill up on food, spare weapons, and even a couple extra things I packed in secret.

So we headed back to Monigami's house in Shibuya, and Harry used his hand-me-down phone to lead the way back to the Metaverse thingy. Reality started to go nuts as we crossed worlds once more. The first time we did this, we were definitely unprepared for what those stinking butlers could do, but now? We've got the stuff, we got a plan, and we've got Hero, what could go wrong?

So we ended up in front of the mansion like last time, that's when I knew that this whole thing wasn't some drunk hallucination. The mansion was as big as his ego, which is very big, I saw a bunch of windows in the front and the door looked very fancy, a bit too fancy for scum like him. That's when I remembered the reason I went into a flying rage when we were cornered. Harry and Takeyoshi were my only two friends as of now, if I ever lost the two of them, I would never forgive myself for letting them get killed. It would also leave an even bigger dent in my reputation, making me completely unable to recover from my hell. I had the power to protect them, Shadow Monigami just threw me off balance, that's all. Now I know better enough to give this kid a spanking.

I looked at Harry, and he changed into the inspiring hero he was known for. He wore a green super suit, donned a very neat cape, and he wore an eye mask to conceal his identity to the world. I think his hair made an S shaped loop like the best superhero. I applaud him for getting his stuff together so quickly, but he on the other hand loved the powers like a mother loves his child. He hugged his body like he was in love with himself. Takeyoshi was just as amazed as I was, and he clapped too. After Hero was done holding himself, he imitated a hero of his own while pretending to be confident in front of me and the kid...

"Oh man, it feels so good to be Hero again… ahem… greetings fair citizens of the world! My name is Hero! I fight for truth, justice, and rebellion against the forces of evil!" he did that dramatic pose where your cap flies in the wind, but as far as I could tell, it wasn't that windy.

"Heh. You never cease to amaze Harry." I gave him the old thumbs up for effort. Takeyoshi was all the more bouncy and hyped with Hero than anything I could do alone. He was the one who came up with the name, it kinda feels like Harry was made to be a Phantom Thief.

"Oh boy! Hero, can I be your sidekick? I wanna wear a mask too!" Takeyoshi asked as Hero continued to make the overly dramatic pose: "I wish you could, but until we solidify what we really are, we must get our act together and take down Monigami!" Harry stayed confident the entire time during that sentence, he's getting better at being someone he's trying to be.

"And to do that, we gonna make like bandits and begin a heist." Takeyoshi then questioned my word choice. Who wouldn't question after Harry became a part of the Phantom Thieves? "But isn't stealing from others wrong?" Kid, stealing what thieves do, time to let loose some of that charm I'm known for.

"Is being picked on by a bully wrong? Turnabout is fair play my dude, I should know, my old friends picked on me all because of some rumors. And they did it while looking like goddamn monsters… I'll never forget those expressions for as long as I live!" Oops. I think I just reminded myself of my horrid origins, I was going to scream but...

"But you showed them! You whooped them in the butt for making silly faces!" Takeyoshi poked fun at this situation like it was a bear. It really wasn't that funny, but that felt too good to not be true. "Heh. I'm just glad you don't understand the weight of the situation." It's times like this that remind you how much helpful the youthful generation is. "Indeed! Now people, bring out your weapons! We have no idea what's in store for us in there!" Hero shouted as we prepared to suit up.

I busted out my crowbar out of my duffle bag, still as reliable as I left it, Harry cracked his knuckles with a smirk, which left him hyped for the adventure, and made me a bit proud of the guy, and Takeyoshi pulls out a real fucking sword from his pocket- wait what!? I thought that was a stick when we entered! Takeyoshi was just as surprised as I was, but he wasn't complaining. Harry dropped the cool guy act for a second just to ask one simple question…

"What the!? Why the hell do you have a real sword!?" Harry shouted as he went from courageous to scared shitless on a dime. The sword looks absolutely normal, like a fresh new blade unsheathed. I gotta say, I've clearly underestimated the way this Palace amazes us.

"Whoa… my stick turned into a real sword…! It's a magic stick!" He completely ignored Harry as he looked at the sword like a handy dandy tool. I talked to Harry on the sidelines about what I think happened…

"Didn't your little friend HEX say that this world is fueled by imagination or something?" "Oh yeah! So whatever he thinks is a sword, actually becomes a sword! That's so brilliant!" Indeed it was Harry. With powers like that, disrespect will be as good as ours.

"Wow… I thought my stick was special, but never magical! Although my mom tells me never to run with swords, she didn't say anything about swinging it at the bad guys!" Your mother should be more specific Takeyoshi, I just can't help smiling at the guy for taking advantage of his newfound sword. "Okay! Now that we're good to go, it's time we teach that naughty kid a lesson!" Hero recovered and did the pose before Takeyoshi and I noticed something... "Wow, Hero! You can fly!" "Huh? I can do what?"

He can fly, the dang dude can fly. He was glowing green and everything as he began to take to the skies. Harry quickly got the hang of it and cheered as he flew all over the place as fast as he could. He zipped here, there, everywhere, this new power made him very joyful, and I'm glad that he's happy. Unfortunately, after a few laps, he stopped flying and it looked like he was out of breath as the green glow disappeared. He landed on the ground headfirst and he was breathing heavily all over the place. I was impressed and all, but still got worried that Harry ran out of juice already...

"Are you okay?" I asked. "Oh my god! I flew so fast that I ran out of power… I can't protect you guys like this, I need more energy!" Harry said, trying to catch a break. "Oh man, if that superpower of yours drains that quickly, I don't think we can defend ourselves from those butlers." I had no idea being a hero comes with an energy wasting technique, but fortunately for us, Takeyoshi came prepared...

"Don't worry Hero, help is on the way to your stomach!" Takeyoshi gets out his teddy bear backpack and pulls out a box full of delicious granola bars. They look like candy bars, only with a whole lotta nuts. Harry grabbed one and ate it as he started to feel his strength coming back to him. I was personally impressed seeing the kid was this much prepared for the heist.

"Hey… I don't feel sluggish anymore! I can fight again! How did you know what to bring?" He says getting back on his feet, back to the way he was before. Takeyoshi felt proud of himself as his smile got as big as ever. "Every great superhero gets tired eventually, so I brought along some of mom's secret stash of energy bars just in case." I saw Hero stand back upright and crack his knuckles again, the illusion of energy left me asking for more...

"Huh. The stuff really does work. But aren't you worried you'll be in trouble?" "Don't worry Jin'ichi, I'll just tell her I've been exercising. She's pretty much worried about all the meats I eat, so she's putting me in a gymnastics class to get better." "Heh. That's clever." I smirked as Hero showed off again.

"Aha! Clever indeed old friend! Now onward, let's save the world from this child's evil plan!" Harry got heroic again, I like his ego, but I still question myself even now: "You think along the way I'll be able to find out what's holding me back?" "I believe in you pal! You can do anything if you put your mind to it!" Takeyoshi gave me a smile, and boy did it feel so good. There's something about kids younger than me that made me smile too, letting a kid accompany us sounds like a great idea, and this was clearly no mistake.

"You see? This is why we have a kid with us Harry, to help us with emotional support, encourage us to do better to make him happy, and to make sure we keep our cursing to a minimum." I told Harry as he smiled at the kid: "Yeah, thanks Takeyoshi." "I'm just happy to be a part of the Phantom Thieves Two!" Takeyoshi said with an uplifting tone.

"I'm sorry, was that 'too' or 'two'...?" Harry wondered for some reason. "Huh?" Takeyoshi questioned. Oh great, you confused the kid, and yourself Harry. I'm telling you now, his charm never gets old. "Well, forget the name! We have more important business to attend to! We have stalled long enough! Let the heist of the extra Phantom Thieves begin!" Hero shouted as he pointed to the mansion and Takeyoshi yelled "Charge!!!"

We smashed through the front door as Hero cleaned the house with his Persona Hercules. I personally still have no idea how he got it still, but he helped knock them out with me and Takeyoshi by his side. The crowbar was effective against some of the creatures, and Takeyoshi knew how to swing a big bad sword. We let no one escape as the main hallway was completely empty in a few minutes, not even Monigami heard the whole thing happen, but we couldn't take a chance that easily.

So we took a look around the place as we noticed the big red staircase in the middle of the room. Being the sleuths we are, we investigated the big brown wooden protected by three different colored locks. One that's red, one that's yellow, and a blue one. I tried prying it open with my handy tool, but the crowbar didn't do shit. We could have Hero use his super strength to punch down the door, but that alone costs energy, and we only have about 7 bars of energy left. It would be better to save them, and Hero's strength, for later in case of an emergency.

Surely the door would open on its own due to Monigami's influence, but he must've hid the keys somewhere else. So we looked around the place for the keys on our own, until...

"Guys! Guys! I found something really super cool!" "Way to go Takeyoshi! Is it one of the keys?" Hero asked. "Even better! They have a swimming pool!" Takeyoshi was certainly jumping all over the place now that he knows there's finally something fun to do! I couldn't agree more with him, but Hero got a bit surprised when he then said: "A what!?"

A swimming pool Harry. The jerk-ass child, who takes pleasure in our suffering, has a goddamn swimming pool. It was on the left on the first floor, the room was empty aside from a couple of naked stone statues of Monigami. The only thing that stood out was the Olympic-sized pool in the middle of it all. The closer we got to it, the bigger it got. We were amazed that the Cognitive World would have something like this in a mansion. We knew it was all a figment of imagination, and that whatever we do here won't entirely affect Monigami's real self. Given the knowledge of our current situation, we wanted to do what any regular man would do when he comes face to face with an opportunity…

"I wanna go swimming!" Shouted the kid, which definitely surprised Harry a little more as he expressed his concern: "What!? But this is private property we're intruding on! Going swimming in someone's pool is extremely offensive to someone's privacy!" Oh you poor dude, don't you remember what he did to you? I think what he needs is to remember that this place can be exploited to our advantage. So, I decided to set Harry straight to make his rebellious spirit a little better at stuff like this.

"Exactly. There's no one else around, and I don't see any security systems anywhere. I don't see why one little dip will hurt anybody." "Yay! We get to go swimming!" This kid is pretty darn ready to go swimming, but Harry still isn't...

"B-But, Jin'ichi, we don't even have the proper equipment. And furthermore, I don't think Takeyoshi can swim!" "Which is exactly why I came prepared as well." I say as I went into my duffle bag for something.

I unpacked three different sized pairs of swimming trunks, much to Harry's dismay, and a big rubber duck float for Takeyoshi. Takeyoshi cheered as he quickly took off his clothes and put on his swimming trunks, I pretty much did the same. Harry looked a bit shaken that I brought summer fun times out of nowhere. Takeyoshi inflates the duck float as Harry begun to question my selection of spare clothing.

"W-Where did you get those swimming trunks!?" He asked, and I answered: "I saw the swimming pool while we were escaping the first time, so I got two pairs of trunks from a bargain store along with an old pair I never use anymore and a salvaged inflatable." "Yahoo! Swimming!" Takeyoshi shouted as Harry pressed his fingers together.

"I'm still a bit worried, what happens if they find out we're here?" "Oh they'll find out, but by the time they do, we'll already be fully relaxed and ready to fight again." "B-But Jin'ichi! What about Monigami!? He's not going to like us swimming in his pool!" He's trying to derail the fun so that he can't get caught again, but this is a dog-eat-dog world, nobody isn't having fun on my watch...

"You worry too much Harry, this guy keeps stealing from little Takeyoshi here, and just the other day he almost killed us." "The only way to exact revenge on him for everything he stole is to take everything he loves! Starting with this pool!" Truer words couldn't have been said, Takeyoshi my boy. Harry is still conflicted on his choice, he keeps looking at the fun pool but then looks at the doors and us as well. Hey, it's been a long time since I actually had fun in someone else's pool, so let me explain it to him in a different way...

"B-But…you guys…" "Let me ask you something Harry. Do you want to just do this whole thing straightforward and never have an opportunity like this again? Or would you rather enjoy it while it lasts? If a kid asks you to have fun, you'd better have fun. Otherwise, this will just be nothing but a boring tour through a mansion we don't know everything about. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that we may never get again, it's not like you have your own giant swimming pool anyways. Relax Harry, if anything does show up, we'll be out of here faster than you can say 'look out'."

Harry thought long and hard about his choice. And when it came to the conclusion, he was finally ready to do something fun: "Um…well…okay… I guess we can give it a shot. I mean, we're supposed to rebel against him right?" "Now you're getting it!" I clapped for him, we both did. It looks like he's starting to learn how to rebel properly, I'm so proud of him.

"Yeah! I'm not just going to stand here and let him keep this lovely water all to himself! He has made us suffer, so now he'll know what it's like for someone to steal what he loves!" "Yippee! Hakaru wants to go swimming!" Takeyoshi cheered with an innocent smile I wished would never go away.

"As far as I'm concerned, disrespect is the perfect revenge plan. And what better way to do it than to..." "Go swimming!!" I let Takeyoshi finish that one, a child's encouragement always gets the job done. "Okay, okay, I'm going! At least cover your weapons with your clothes, so they don't use them against us." Again, he worries too much. Either way, Harry is right, we can't get too careless, but that doesn't mean we can't chill out.

So that's what we did, although Takeyoshi's clothes weren't enough to cover his sword, so I placed the duffle bag and his backpack on top. A few seconds later, and we all did a cannonball into the pool, and Takeyoshi impressively jumped onto the duck float. We all sighed in relief as we let the water around us surround our bodies. It felt absolutely perfect, which may be a bad thing considering he was the supposed 'perfect child', but in our case? It felt heavenly using someone's imaginary pool against them.

"Oh wow, this is the life…" Harry said, sighing as the water was catching up with him. Takeyoshi splashed and kicked all about as he giggled like a child in the family pool. "Yeah, I could get used to this. What a perfect little pool." I said with a smile on my face. This was our big moment that would change our career for the better; Not only are we disrespecting his rules, but we also had fun while doing it. At that moment, we were not just ordinary thieves, we felt like we had absolute control over someone else's property.

But there's one minor downside to being in a pool, or any kind of water for that matter. The blond hair dye I had going earlier, it started to melt away. My hair returned to the pitch black color I was once known for, and it also ruined my spikes too. I only noticed this shortly after Takeyoshi was finished splashing for a while.

"Oh man… my hair is totally flat now…" I worried as I kept trying to spike it back up, Harry tried to cheer me up with a plain old smile... "I think that actually looks kinda good on you." but in retrospect I probably should've thought about my hair before jumping in, must've forgotten about it while I was trying to convince Harry to swim with us.

"But I don't want it to look good, I want it to look tough! If people don't see me looking all tough, they'll know for sure I've gone soft! And if I've gone soft on them, they'll continue picking on me and exacting their revenge! Maybe even going as far as to kick me out the second I'm exposed!" I'll admit I was a little panicked over something as minor as my hair, I kept trying to spike it up over and over as Takeyoshi was also starting to worry about me. He gave me a sad look on his face, which made him reach for something in our little pile of stuff: "Jin'ichi…"

He grabbed his baseball cap from the clothes pile and then gave it to me. I was confused at first, but then I put two and two together and realized he was actually giving me something. That rarely happens to me, only on my birthday and Christmas is when I get that good stuff. But I've never received a legitimate gift since I became a 'poor boy'. I took it to heart, the kid had good intentions, he meant that gift from what he learned about me and my punky attitude.

"What's this? Your hat?" "I'll tell you what, you can borrow it if you want. I won't mind." "Huh? But kid, you need that hat. Will you be okay without it?" "Sure! If you want to keep it, I can use another one from my closet. I think my hat makes anyone look tough. If you flip it backwards, it turns you into a punk!"

I put the red baseball cap on, and then after I flipped it backwards and looked into the water, they weren't kidding when they said it does kinda make me look like a punk. This kid had a hopeful look in his eyes, quite the opposite to the looks everyone else gave me before I became tough. I actually smiled on that day, nothing psychopathic, but out of honesty and generosity. This was the very first time I smiled truthfully to someone else in a long time, this made me so proud that I placed a finger on Takeyoshi's heart with the best grin I could make.

"Heh. You're a good kid Takeyoshi. I hope that little light inside your heart never burns out." "Yeah. Thanks for helping a friend in need Takeyoshi. Even though that felt minor and easily fixable, you offered to help anyway. That's fantastic Takeyoshi." Harry said while glad that I'm glad, that's nice. "I'm just happy to be with you guys. It's the least I could do for you and Jin'ichi. Race you to the other side!" Oh it's on Takeyoshi, time to let loose the anxious swimmer inside me!

We all swam from one side of the pool to the other, I let Harry win to boost his confidence a bit. I myself may not be that good of a swimmer, but at least I could move. It was memories like this that remind me of the old days, I just don't know why Kamoshida would ruin it all. He knew that I wouldn't get this far in the deal, but I did. But I can't help but thank him for what he did to me. I know it's bad, but still, if it weren't for Kamoshida, I wouldn't even be here right now.

I wouldn't have met Hakaru in time and helped him avoid a terrible fate, I wouldn't have been able to find a new friend worth calling my own, and I wouldn't have met this sweet little kid named Takeyoshi. Kamoshida, I hate you, but I thank you for what you have done to me. Although I must say, I lost my real friends, my reputation, and my mother to find this wonderful feeling in my heart. It's true what they say, an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a nickel.

Anyways, as we were racing back, Takeyoshi got knocked over accidentally and the whole thing turned upside down. We flipped him back up before he could fall out of the float, and we gave him a moment to recover before he told us something crazy about this pool…

"Oh thank goodness! Are you okay Takeyoshi?" "Hakaru! T-There's a key at the bottom of the pool!" "Really!?"

Harry stuck his head underwater and so did I. We both saw a blue key at the bottom of the 5-foot deep pool. At that moment, I knew coming here wasn't a mistake. The only problem was, none of us had the guts to swim that deep underwater. So we went back to the side we came from to see if any of us had any backup plans. Unfortunately, we were spotted by a butler Shadow who sounded very freaked out upon seeing our faces.

"Oh no! Intruders! I must get Master Monigami!" "They found us." I said shaking a fist. "I knew this was a bad idea!" Harry stop worrying yourself, this was an important moment of disrespect and rebellion, there are no bad ideas when you take advantage of places like this.

"There's nothing to worry about Harry! We just gotta get our clothes back on and our weapons ready before they get back!" "I sure don't wanna turn into a donkey! Let's get outta here!" You and me both Takeyoshi, let's roll!

We scrambled to get out of the pool and put our clothes back on before the guards could return, but then, not even one second after we put on our underwear, Harry immediately told us in a panic that he couldn't find his super suit. This sucks because without his bare strength, we couldn't get dressed in time! Guards were rushing towards us at high speeds, and we weren't even ready to fight them! We braced for impact as they aimed their knives at us, but then…

"Leave them alone!!"

It was Harry, looking just as rebellious as he did back then. His Hero costume appeared out of thin air as it shocked me and Takeyoshi yet again. He ripped off his mask yet again, and out came Hercules, the mighty demigod, who knocked back all the guards with some sort of flame breath. Takeyoshi was too amazed to pull up his pants, while I was stuck pulling on my belt. That is, until Hero looked at us and said…

"I'll hold them off! You guys get your stuff together right now!"

And that's what we did. It took no time to get our clothes back together and Hero blew them away by glowing green again and allowing his Persona to be engulfed in that energy as well. The armor that once restricted Hercules came off and revealed sparkly green plasma fists that looked extremely deadly to touch. The cape was engulfed in a green fire, his hair lit up the atmosphere, and Hercules's eyes glowed a bright shade of green. That's a lot of green for a single person. Hero called out his attack this time, and boy did it dish out one hell of a punch!

**"Super Power!!!"**

He punched away an entire army in one single punch, which gave us time to run away in the opposite direction. Hero snacked on two energy bars, so he could regain his strength when he needed it. We ran away from the Shadows, letting the wind from our momentum dry us off, as we opened that wooden door on the other side of the pool that says "Jail House". We blocked the door with everything we could find around us and knocked out the receptionist, who had a good desk, to block the others out. It wasn't hard given Hero's super strength, but we all stopped to catch our breath as Hero continues to impress us.

"That was awesome! You're my hero!" Takeyoshi said with stars in his eyes as Hero smiled at him again. "Thanks kid. Although this energy increase helped me a lot, I'm still kinda tired!" And just like that Hero was confident in himself again, but we had to keep moving or else we'll get caught again, so...

"No time to stop now, we gotta keep moving or else they'll catch us!" I said with certainty that we'll get out of this jam alive. "A-Are you sure? That hallway looks pretty scary…" "Hah! Don't worry Takeyoshi, I laugh at the face of scary things, ha ha ha!"

After Harry laughed, we heard laughing too, creepy unfamiliar laughing that sounded like a person going completely nuts. That sure spooked us out a bit as we shivered just a bit. The sounds came from the jail cells up ahead. Once we caught our breath, we slowly walked over to the prison cells. It wasn't like any old prison, it had the cold metal bars blocking off some giant sized dolls. There were toys in there, most of them being tools of destruction, like bats or hammers, and a lone doll's bed for the giant patchwork toy we saw in each one.

For some reason Harry was shivering a bit looking around as if he was paranoid due to one of his bad dreams, but Takeyoshi was still smiling at the dolls. Who could blame him? You bring one kid to the scene of a freak-show, and all he sees is big toys for him to play with. I apparently watched as they just stared at us like creeps.

"Um… what exactly is this?" Hero wondered. "It looks like…toys…?" I guessed as Takeyoshi walked over to one of them, still blind by the surrounding horrors: "Oh boy! They look so cute! Hi!"

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii……" The doll actually talked back, but it's voice felt sluggish and dull as well as the tone of someone who had seen better days. "Whoa…they're magic toys…awesome!" It was not awesome Takeyoshi, I'll give you that!

All the prisoners slowly sprang to life in a manner that looked like zombies. Their button-like eyes look busted, some of their mouths can move somehow, and they look just like real humans, except they had all the stuffing knocked out of them, their skin has holes in it, and their clothes and hair are torn all over the places. Harry and I were a bit scared of their unhinged sights, but Takeyoshi thought of this like a trip to an amusement park. This kid was real lucky he doesn't understand the horror behind all of this yet…

Just then, me and Harry found strings attached to their backs. Any old toy lover knows to pull the string to listen to some very interesting dialogue. Surprisingly, the doors were unlocked when we tried opening them. If they could leave at any time, why don't they leave now? We found out our answer by pulling one of their strings and listened to their mouths flab talking about Monigami. The voice that came out sounded very feminine, but it also sounded realistic, slow, and on the verge of dying, just like a broken toy…

"He's the devil...devil…he's the…!" The voice stopped as me and Hero looked at each other a little shivered. Takeyoshi was trying to piece together what she said, but I wouldn't think that's a good idea...

"The devil…? Could she be referring to…?" "Yeah… definitely Monigami. Check them all Harry." I told him as we investigated the cells with the dolls slowly creeping up towards us. But they still couldn't leave the cell, nobody knew what was stopping them, they just stopped right near the door as they felt like they shouldn't step out of line.

We opened each door and pulled the strings of each one, to see what they had to say about Monigami. They kept saying broken lines of dialogue like "I hate that kid!", "Don't destroy your house!", and there's even someone who said "I want to die…". It was at that point that Takeyoshi started to be just as scared as we were. We were all trying to keep our cool in the cold lifeless prison as the dolls moaned, laughed, cried, and screamed at random to no end.

You'd be fine with one doll making random noises, but with this many dolls? You would probably not last an hour with these creeps, and that's exactly why we couldn't handle so many mixed emotions at once. We couldn't tell if they were happy, sad, angry or scared of us, and it confused us to the point where we would stand in a circle and kept our eyes on the dolls.

"Man, they sure do l-like to make j-jokes right…? O-Okay, you can stop now… hello? Why won't they stop!? Make them stop!" Takeyoshi was beginning to lose that optimistic smile as he was starting to get even more scared, and I hate seeing a child scared to death, because that just unnerves me even more…

"How the hell am I supposed to make them stop!? Sew their goddamn mouths together!?" I shouted out of fear. "I think that's where the moaning is coming from…" Good eye Harry, some of the moaning came from the ones who didn't open their mouths, the rest of the cracked up noises came from the ones who had their mouths open.

The three of us were scared out of our minds by now. My teeth have started to chatter in a way that I've never done before. They didn't even have to make those faces, their broken attire was all it took to make me cringe. Takeyoshi was urged to cry his face off, while Harry tried to put up a straight face, but he kept failing. We all felt like we might've taken a wrong turn on creepy-town. But just before we could get over this, we heard Harry's voice. The only problem is, it came from over there and not where Harry was grabbing me...

"Help! Somebody help me!" The voice sounded distressed, just like when Harry found out that this girl named Shio was abused. "Hero, I know you are a coward but this is too much!" "That wasn't me Takeyoshi! It came from over there!!"

We slowly trekked towards the other side of this jail house. It was a dead end, blocked by a brick wall, but the voice came to us on the left. We found another doll, but it had the appearance of Harry twisted into it. It looks like Harry, as a matter of fact it was almost accurate to who he was, but it had two button eyes and an actual functioning mouth. In fact, the dopplgänger was the only one here that didn't look wasted or broke. He was also the only one who could freely talk without making noises or having us pull his string.

"That's…me…?" "Run for your lives! The madman is going to get you! If you don't run, then you'll end up like all of my friends." Doll Harry put his floppy arms on the iron bars, and this kinda made me grind my gears now that I knew what Monigami meant when he said that Harry had 'potential'...

"That sick bastard, he thinks of us like jackasses, but he thinks of you as a doll!?" "I don't want to be a donkey!!!" Oh dear, now Takeyoshi is shaking even more, and after Hero attempted pulling on the iron bars using his strength, but to no avail...

"Okay guys, it's clear that this one is the only locked cell. And I don't think any of our weapons can crack it..." He said trying to act serious, but I added on that theory: "Just like the damn door on the stairs." Takeyoshi looked somewhat calm at the sight of Doll Harry after our attempt to bust it open failed, but he still wanted to escape...

"How do we get out of here!?" "If you can break through that wall back through there, you should be able to escape! But first… I want you to pull my string. However, when you pull it, you won't like what you will find…" "Do we have to!? I just wanna go home!" Takeyoshi was crying as the creepiness was getting to him. I tried to get Harry to run too but little did I know, he's got an entirely different feeling than before.

"Harry, if these dolls had their minds spoken to us when we pulled their strings, then who knows what kinda dark shit your doppelgänger has! We have to bust out of here before Monigami stops us!" "I'm sorry, but I need to know what's going on here." Harry, what the hell are you thinking with that cowardly brain of yours? I can't let you get overconfident again, that'll put you at too much risk!

"Harry! I know you're trying to act tough and all, but you can't always be the brave man I am! Don't you dare pull his string, it might be a trap!" That's when I saw him look at me, those eyes, that's the expression of a man who just can't take it anymore. I've seen those eyes on me before I became the beast during the summer, and again with Shiho after she was clobbered. I know Harry, he would never look at people like this, something definitely wrong with his voice too…

"You said something was holding you back, maybe this is exactly what you needed. If we pull his string, we'll be able to find out the truth about why these dolls are broken. I'm not going to just run away like a coward this time, I'm going to help you become a better person no matter what!"

"Harry! No, wait!" "I've got a bad feeling about this…" Takeyoshi said with his hands on his head. Harry should've been scared too, but he's practically forcing himself to do what's right. The first time he forced himself to be this confident was during his first Awakening, something I'd thought I'd never see out of him again. He always said I need to become a better person, and now, with a single string pull. I was about to learn the truth about both Hakarus and their reason for their cowardliness.

Harry pulled the string, and out came a message that didn't sound unhinged or broken at all. It sounded more like regret, that was what Harry felt like at that moment. He felt regret for being the coward he was once before, and now he wants to help me become someone better because he thinks that this message will solve my problems. Let me tell you this now, when I heard that message, my problems weren't solved, but the pain got worse…

"Cell 13...don't forget about her…"

"Cell 13? Why there? That's an unlucky number dude, your copy is leading us to our deaths!" I just assumed that as I was just as desperate to leave as Harry once was, but he wasn't screaming or crying anymore. He spoke in a tone that I never heard from him before, his voice wasn't cracking up or panicking anymore, it was as calm as his nerves will allow it: "Jin'ichi, we need to find out more about this place. If this is really what goes on in Monigami's mind, then we have to know the truth…"

"B-But Hakaru, I-I don't like the dark, what if it has monsters in it…?" Takeyoshi was letting his tears fly as I back him up for once. "The kid might be right, this isn't like you at all Harry! Aren't you supposed to be running away from this by now!? We're all creeped out by this mental asylum and you actually want to investigate further!? What the hell is wrong with you!?" And then, something snapped inside Harry. For the first time, he actually raised his voice to the point of him actually surpassing the mental stress I had once. He yelled at me, something I'd never thought I'd see him do in a time like this, and he pointed at the guy who inspired him to be tough…

"Now look here, I'm doing this for you! Why should I run away from your problems, I'm helping you solve them so that you won't be like this! Running away from your fears will get you absolutely nowhere! I'm just so sick and tired of being called a coward, there's no way we're going to leave here without the truth! Besides, you haven't awakened anything yet, maybe this is the only way to do it. I know Monigami is going to take notice of our situation, so that's why we're leaving Takeyoshi to keep an eye out. Jin'ichi, do you want to awaken? Be someone entirely better? Or are you the one who's the coward around here?"

My God, this felt like a very disastrous role-reversal. Now Harry is the one that's angry, and here I am going along with Harry's cowardliness. But still, I never thought he would get this worked up over me. And the way he called me a coward was just a bit heart-shattering to me, I never thought my bro would get this angry at me from running away from the truth. So I responded while I had this frightening feeling in my mouth and this aching pain in my head: "I'm no coward! If it means that much to you then fine! Let's just get in that cell, and if there's any phoney-baloney going on, we're out of here!"

Harry kept that straight face the entire time now that he has seen how Monigami thinks of him, just hearing himself panic like this must've triggered something in him, but why? The dolls were still making those sickening noises as we backtracked from cell 30, where Doll-Harry was, to cell 13. It was completely surrounded by darkness, we must've overlooked it the first time because I couldn't see squat in there.

The gate was knocked over like someone went on a wild frenzy, most of the stuff inside was gone, and it was too dark to see anything without Harry's flashlight. He brought one just in case it was dark inside, and it managed to fit in his pocket quite nicely. I felt kinda bad about leaving Takeyoshi alone when he's already so distressed, but Harry insisted that we would go on without him for a bit. I just wish that nobody would try to ambush us in here, if Monigami is really that manipulative, then I'm not trusting these dolls unless they have a good reason to be trusted.

We looked around for some clue that would somehow awaken me, but there's nothing here but rock, doll fluff, small pieces of wool that felt like a woman's hair, and a small replica of my small house, but it was in pieces. What the hell does this all mean, does whoever lives in here hate me enough to crush my home? I pondered that question to myself for a while, but then I heard some strange noise. It sounded like an ugly feminine combination of coughing, laughing, and some other noises that we don't need to mention. When the darkness cleared up, I saw a sight that was definitely something I couldn't look away from.

It was a doll, but it had that nice purple dress my mom wore the day she vanished, but she didn't just vanish, did she? Her fabric outfit was completely stretched out and filled with holes, the fabric skin looks like it's been soaked in all kinds of liquid, the stuffing was all over the place, her mouth was a opened mouth in the shape of a frown instead of a creepy-ass smile like the rest, both of her button eyes were gone and in its place were two red circles that leaked down her face like blood, her hair was partly gone too, one of the arms and legs were missing, and while most of the other dolls were barefoot, she had one bent sticker like a shoe and that was it.

The string on her back was very long too, I was honestly a little afraid to pull it, but if Harry could help me uncover the truth, then I should be able to help myself get better, just like he said. When I pulled the string, that's when I heard it: my mother's voice, that calm and sweet voice that she was known for and it made me smile just thinking about it. It's been so long since I heard it, it made me feel nostalgic. But… she never sounded this angry, at least not angry enough to make me frown the second I heard her voice like this. The only time I could think of her being this angry was when I chose cookies over homework.

But it turns out, her mind was gone, I couldn't recognize my own mother's sweet swan song anymore. Why was she this mad? How the hell did that bastard Monigami get his hands on her!? Both of those questions weren't answered at the time, but her voice echoed through my brain as she played the longest message out of all of the available dolls…

"My son!!! He keeps hitting on women, he left me here to rot with this evil child, and he never repays anything I do for him!! What kind of mother am I to raise a slob like him!? As far as I'm concerned, he deserves to go to hell!! He's none of my concern anymore!!! I can't stand being alive with HIM!!! I just want him to die!!"

What the hell... I couldn't believe it, I didn't want to believe it, and I especially tried to get that mental image out of my head. But if what she's saying is true, then she really did believe Kamoshida's rumors about me. As a matter of fact, she was driven mad by those rumors and that selfish brat! But my mother was always so nice to people, she would never say those things unless that's how she truly felt…

I had no idea what was happening now. I was shaking and breathing as hard as I could, I did everything in my power to not care about this, but her voice felt too realistic to ignore. Even Hakaru was staring at her like he too was beginning to lose his composure. "Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…." The doll kept saying that over and over using my mother's broken voice as a means to speak, that line got more and more distorted the more she said it until I couldn't recognize what she was saying anymore... I managed to tune out those other toys, but her voice felt too powerful to simply avoid caring about.

I couldn't take it, my shades fell off as I fell to the floor too. Hakaru realized this and finally began to panic as he pulled me back up trying to get me to snap out of it, but it was no use. I'm not the tough guy he wanted to be, I'm just another pathetic child who tries to deny the truth…

"Jin'ichi? Jin'ichi! What's going on!? Please, Jin'ichi! You have to get back up!" "My own mother… She hates me? No…she loves me, right…?" "Jin'ichi! Snap out of it! Monigami will be here any moment!" Hakaru tried desperately as all that fear he swallowed starting catching up to him in a pathetic attempt to get me to stop crying, but the sound of my own mother's voice telling me how she felt, mixed in with this creepy ass jail was all too much to control...

"...lies…it's all lies…she would never…is this reality? No, I can't...it's all lies!! I'd rather watch her disappear instead of lying to my damn face!!! Why the hell is this happening to me!?" Hakaru put his arm over my pained body, he knew I was in trouble, and yet he felt helpless when I broke down like this...

"Jin'ichi…please… I'm here for you pal... there's no way I'll end up like her. So… this is the true price to pay to become a 'poor boy'? Kamoshida really was a bastard…" Hakaru... you just had to bring HIM up didn't you?

"I hate him!!! Just when I thought I was safe from that damn pervert he comes back to haunt me!! Why did he have to go and ruin my own damn life because of something I wanted to do!? All I ever wanted was to join the volleyball team, but it leads to this!? This broken sweetheart of a mother!? This can't be it… no, it is damnit... I can't believe what an idiot I am!! Why did I have to go and let Kamoshida control me like I'm some puppet!? I know why… I was because I was too damn good for him. There's no way Kamoshida did this to my mother unless he wanted someone to fuck…! And… it's all my fault for letting him get to me… I'm sorry Hakaru… I'm not that tough guy you really wanted to see… I'm just some goddamn piece of shit who doesn't know his damn place…"

"Jin'ichi… I'm really sorry about your mother… I don't want to lose you either pal, you showed me how brave I really was, I can't just leave you here to rot with this doll..." Hakaru stopped being afraid as he calmly hugged me while I cried and screamed, Takeyoshi heard everything from outside the cell, he felt so sorry for me so he cried a couple of tears, and Doll-Hakaru wanted to cry, but he couldn't because he's just a doll. At that point, I wanted them to stop crying. They're all wasting their efforts on someone who ruined his own damn life. But then, just as I thought the pain couldn't get any worse, we heard footsteps...

"Jin'ichi! Hero! They're coming!" Takeyoshi screamed as he was shoved by a Shadow into the jail cell with us in it. He was soon shivering in the cold hard darkness as Hakaru helped him back up with a confident smile on his face. The two of them walked out of the darkness and faced Monigami without a worry in the world. But I was still in shock from what my mother said, or rather, what she thought. Was all that really how she felt about me…?

There's the brat now, looking like a million dollars, or that one dollar you had that you suddenly got greedy about. He looks a bit angry about the swimming pool incident, because he stomps around more frequently and he sounds just like a spoiled brat, but Hero and Takeyoshi faced him and his minions while I remained utterly useless to the team...

"Hey dumbasses! Why is the pool floor soaking wet? Did you seriously swim in MY pool without my fucking permission!?" "We did it because we don't like you Monigami!" Takeyoshi shouts: "Yeah! What have you done with these people!?" Hakaru demanded…

"Huh? Ohhhh! You mean my fucking toys?" "Yeah, we know they're toys now what are they!?" "It's just as he said Takeyoshi, these must've been his past babysitters, he must've broke them during their visits!" Hakaru pointed out...

"That's right! This is my special collection of toys! Whenever a new toy comes in, and they disobey me, I fuck them up and they take the fall. Like this one, she used to have that annoying sound that went all like 'Hug me baby!'. All I wanted was a jar of cookies, but she claims I should 'eat more healthy', yuck! Can you believe this fucker!? But then, after I fucked her up, she said something completely different!"

The doll was brought before Shadow Monigami by another Shadow. The doll struggles and opens her mouth repeatedly as if it wants to eat Monigami. He pulls the string forcing her to recite the "He's the devil!" dialogue once more. The Shadow throws away her body back into her cell, and then she turns around and moans as she lays down like an obedient dog. THIS is what my mother was reduced to…?

"You bastard! Is that what you did to Jin'ichi's mom!? And why the hell am I in here!?" "Well, I-" "Say that to Jin'ichi's face you coward!" "That's right, you heard the kid! If you really wanted to gloat, do it in front of this broken man here! It's much more satisfying!" "What!? Just who do you…!? Fine! I'll give it to this bitch loud and clear!"

Monigami and his minions pushed me against the wall that the doll of my mother was so close to. She crawled to me and kept shouting "Why!?" faster and faster, louder and louder, it got even more stressful by the minute. Then Shadow Monigami smirks and walks over to me slowly and tauntingly. The more I stared at him, the more rage that built up inside me. He was responsible for driving my mother insane, and combined with that twisted expression just made my eyes twitch. I have no idea what Hakaru and Takeyoshi are doing, but if their plan is to piss me the fuck off, it's working…

"Listen good jackass, I'll only say this once to your stupid cunt face. Your mother was pretty special, she was the nicest girl I've ever met. Perhaps even more beautiful than my own mom. She could've been my perfect babysitter, one that lets me do whatever the fuck I want. I had absolutely nothing against her, but that's when some of my urges peaked out. Urges, that are understandably hard to control, made me want her face of joy to dissolve into a more beautiful expression. So I played with her, oh what fun I had while you were at school, and the way you got in trouble for something you didn't do was just fucking priceless. And boy was she shook up when I got done fucking her. She went from joy, to disgust, to hate and then finally…!"

"She had the perfect expression. Her eyes were twitching all about, teeth were chattering up a storm, she curled into a ball and was unable to understand what was going on before she snapped, and she looked fucking ruined! To my mommy and daddy, it looked like she went crazy with one of those 'mental shutdowns' I've been hearing about. Every other toy I played with was more the same, they all ended up serving time because of me! Don't worry your pretty little head, I won't make you my toy, you are too much of a jackass to do something like this."

"I want something to break, not something that is already broke! Your friend Hakaru is a perfect example of someone I could break! Look at that innocent face, no one would mind if I just toyed with him in a few weeks from now. I can't wait to see Hakaru's pure innocent face become a look of complete and utter defeat!!"

This damn brat laughs as he keeps running his damn mouth. He stepped on my shades forcing them to be broken, just like my mother…! The doll grabbed my right arm and kept asking "Why!?" like a deranged madman, and it's all Monigami's fault! I couldn't stand it anymore! This young child was definitely raised the wrong way, he's just as arrogant and insane as Kamoshida!. No, he's even worse than Kamoshida! At least Kamoshida abused them because of his pride, but this kid just does it for the sake of his 'urges'!?

I'm normally one for age equality, and this is no exception! I wanted to make this brat suffer because of the crimes he got away with!! Now was not the time to worry about my mother, right now, I'm more worried about how soft I was going to go on this bastard!!

I spun Takeyoshi's red cap around on my head so it faced backwards and then I punched Monigami in the face with the arm that was still free! The Shadows didn't take it that kindly and were going to kill me here and there! Hero and Takeyoshi tried fighting them by punching and swinging the sword around, but even they were still having a hard time recovering from the last battle. With both of my friends lives at stake, along with remembering the last time that this happened, it looks like it's up to me! That man-child made a dick move messing with me, all the while doing it with that goddamn, motherfucking expression on his sick retarded bitchy face!!!

"Fuck you Monigami!!! I am sick and tired of people looking at me with that goddamn face!!! I just can't stand that expression!! You're a dead man you bitch!!" I yelled violently, and now that my eyes were visible to him, I let myself get as wild as possible, because when people like him give innocent people a hard time, I'll just fuck them up! I was ready to go in for the kill as my motherly doll obediently backed away from Monigami and I let loose a violent scream that was somehow even more violent than before! My voice echoed across the room as I didn't care about the rules anymore, if I held back then everyone would be in danger again! Well guess what? No matter what happened to my mother, this bitch was going to get what he deserves!

Suddenly, I heard a strange voice that sounded a bit like mine, but much more twisted and childish, in a crazy sort of way…

**(Hey pal! I was getting tired of waiting!)**

All of a sudden, my head feels like it's on fire! Given my mental state right now, I'm starting to hear this voice in my head that won't go away! I scream in excruciating pain as I couldn't help but listen to what the voice has to say...

**(How does it feel to be screwed by two different people? Just standing around here menacingly won't fix your problems bud! Sometimes you just gotta go a little wild, unleash the monster inside of you! Do it not because you miss your momma, but because you really wanna smash open some heads!)**

"Yeah… yeah!! I'm with you all the way Gizmo!!"

**(I am thou, thou art I, the beast we kept locked in our heart shall not be chained down any longer! Let the whole world hear you roar as you stand on top of the corpses of evil!)**

A mask appeared on my face that looked green and goblin-like. My hair spiked up forcing Takeyoshi's hat off of my head as I ripped off the mask. All the rage I built up over the years? Unleashed through a primal roar that was even louder than the first day as a new man. I was engulfed in blue flames as the roars scared the heck out of the dolls in the prison, but it wowed Harry, Takeyoshi and Doll Harry, in that order...

"He did it…" "Oh wow! He's mad!" "I never thought he would get one too but, wow!" The three watched as I began to unleash my own rebellious spirit!

I emerged as an even tougher looking version of myself. My tennis-shoes turned into boots with spikes on them, the jeans I wore before became ripped with even more holes than before, the black leather jacket looked even more menacing and dangerous, I wore green gloves with claws on them, and there's earpieces that looked like gremlin ears. I looked at Monigami with a psychopathic state as my Persona comes into view.

He looked small and cute, his fur was brown and fuzzy, and his eyes were buggy and twitchy, all the while he was looking like those gremlins I saw on TV. His teeth were sharp as nails, his personality was fast and energetic as fuck, and he acted a bit wild for a little guy on my shoulder. I think I know what that means. I may be small in comparison to big shots like Kamoshida and this particular Monigami, but deep down inside me, I just want to use this newfound power to thrash out against everyone who sickens me! Takeyoshi grabbed his cap and turned it on his head, while Harry looked at me as if I'm losing my mind. The truth was, I kinda did lose my mind, to say the least...

"U-Um, Jin'ichi…?" Hero said backing up a few steps as I found myself laughing at the predicament I'm in: "Hehehehheh… you think you're so smart looking at me like you don't value human life. I should let you know, I hate being called a jackass. Fortunately for me, I have accumulated enough rage to beat down all of your goddamn minions!!" I stared at Monigami with all of my instincts directed at him, and he looked angry at me for awakening like Harry did!

"Ugh! Not again! Somebody kill him already!" "Y-Yes sir! Come men, let's tame this beast!" As the Shadow called his little shadowy friends, I cracked my knuckles as the other two got ready to rumble!

"I'm gonna get mad too! Behold the might of my sticky sword!" Takeyoshi positioned himself as he gripped the sword with two hands. "Alright! Come at us with everything you've got! We're ready for you now!" Hero stood there readying his fist of fury. "Yeah! Crush them Gizmo!!" I shout as we watch the butlers make their move...

The Shadows became four monsters that look like trolls, but I don't care what they look like or who they were, all that mattered now was the satisfaction of wiping that damn face off of Monigami!! "You despicable grown-ups don't know when to quit! We'll teach you your place whether we like it or not!" one of the trolls said. For some reason, that made me laugh as Hero looked at me with a small hint of concern…

"Our place you say!? Hahaha, you have zero idea how screwed you are!" "Are you sure you're okay Jin'ichi? Did the awakening hurt you, or...?" "I'm perfectly fine Harry! I just need to take my anger out on these stupid looking monsters! Gizmo, what do you say to a relaxing day of bashing Shadows upside the head?" I smirked even brighter than before as Gizmo replied…

**(YEAH!!! Let's show them what this beast can really do!!!)**

Takeyoshi swung his sword around like a young child playing pirates with his sister, Hero unleashed Hercules, and they worked together to punch and slash the shit out of the Shadows! "Yahoo! We're beating them!" Takeyoshi cheered. "There's still some more to go, you think you can take it Jin'ichi?" "Trick question Harry: OF COURSE I FUCKING CAN!!!" I laughed as I have decided not to hold back anymore, I jumped on top of one of the trolls and I snapped his neck with my bare hands. Gizmo took a bite on the other's leg and it created electricity causing the troll to be paralyzed.

This left an opening for me as I beat the troll senselessly with my crowbar! I enjoyed every sound the crowbar made when it hit the flesh of the Shadow before it disappeared into thin air… you know what? I think being a Phantom Thief is actually pretty fun! It gives me the chance to take my anger out on stuff I couldn't in real life, I can see why Harry wanted to be Hero again so much!

Unfortunately, Monigami escaped and more Shadows just kept coming out of nowhere! Me, Hero, and Takeyoshi were getting overwhelmed, so Hero used whatever powers he had left to blast through everyone with his fists at once while my instincts started to tingle. My right earpiece shook a bit, and it told me to build something. Using the dead end wall made of bricks, and the iron bars from Doll-Harry's cage, I was going to build us a battering ram!

"I can't keep this up any longer!" "You don't expect me to eat and fight at the same time!" Said Hero with his mouthful of energy bar, I whistled for the twosome as Hero swallowed the food he gathered.

"Hey guys, I have an idea! If we can build a battering ram, we can break Doll-Harry and ourselves out of here in one shot!" "Brilliant idea Jin'ichi! This is a two-for-one advantage we have to take!" Hero was finally starting to pick up on the facts he learned about taking advantage of his surroundings, I felt so happy for him I could laugh! "How do we do that? We can't just build everything in two seconds! I don't think even Hero can do that!" "Aw, don't worry little guy, leave everything to me!"

I laughed as my gloves glowed a dark green color. My fingers felt grabby, it felt like I was going to explode if I didn't grab something with these fingers! I grabbed one of the iron bars and, surprisingly, it pulled straight out. I kept grabbing the bars and soon the bricks on the wall with some sort of super speed, it was made apparent that I have gained some sort of builder's instinct! Gremlins are known for taking things apart, but in this case they also have the knowledge to put things together! Pretty soon, I put together a battering ram without any effort! I had no idea where the other stuff on it came from, but who cares when we're about to escape?

"Wow! You actually freed me?" "Doll me!" Hero hugged the doll version of himself as they both expressed cheer for themselves. Takeyoshi was astounded at my tired body as he smiled with glee: "Whoa… how do you do that?" "Who knows? Hey Harry, I'm a little low on juice, care to do the honors?" I pointed to the real Harry as he agreed to my plan with excitement: "I may have very little energy left, but it should be enough to bust us out of here! Hang on tight other-self!" Harry grabbed himself and put him on top of his back as the doll started to be confident in himself.

"Takeyoshi, don't let go!" "I wouldn't think of it 'Gremlin'!" "Gremlin? Why that's a perfect name! Thanks child! Yahoo!!!!" "Uh…yay!" I might've spooked Takeyoshi just a bit because of my sudden smirk, but speaking of spooks, we'd better bust out of this haunted house!

We rushed out of here while the whole thing glowed green as Hero used his Super Power to break the wall and any Shadow that got in our way! The four of us travelled from bush to bush as they tried to find us but to no avail. We made it back to the entrance before Doll-Harry stopped for some reason. Takeyoshi realized this first and didn't know what was he thinking at the time...

"What's wrong Doll-Hakaru? Don't you wanna come back with us?" the kid asked as he tried to keep his friendly smile. "I'm sorry everyone, but I can't go with you to the real world." the doll said with regret in his voice.

"Why not? I mean, besides the fact that you'll look weird in public." "I'm just a figment of Monigami's imagination Hero, a Cognition if you will, and someone's Cognition can't leave the Palace they are bound to. Remember how you said that this is how Monigami sees you Hakaru? If such a law were to be broken, the fabric of reality won't be able to handle this and it'll all collapse."

"Huh?" Takeyoshi said confused, Harry begrudgingly answered for him: "It means that the doll version of myself can't leave because he's just what Monigami thinks of me, someone who's pathetic and unhelpful, not someone brave and heroic..." He looked away from the two of us when he said that, I felt a slight pain in my chest when he got more depressed just by accepting that's how Monigami sees him. That's why he refused to run away, the thought of Harry being this scared made him attempt to make things right.

"But, Doll-Hakaru, are you gonna be okay by yourself?" "Probably not Takeyoshi, you'll probably have to bust me out again when the time comes. But, if I'm being honest right now, I believe in you guys. It's up to you guys to stop Monigami from breaking my other self, and me as well. I know this mansion like the back of my fabric hand, mostly because he drags his toys on the floor. When you come back to this place, don't forget about me, okay?" Doll-Harry smiled as if he had found new friends of his own. Harry put his hand on his shoulder, just like I've been doing to him quite often.

"It's okay other me. We'll never forget about you. I can assure you that we will return tomorrow when the time is right." I decided to let me speak for myself, this might be the first time I compliment a doll, but I've calmed down enough to give him a good one: "Doll-Harry, if that bastard gives you trouble, you'd better stand up for yourself until we come back." "I'll try, thanks Jin'ichi." I fist bumped the doll's paper-thin arm as it wiggled all around and Takeyoshi started crying:

"I'm gonna miss you Doll-Hakaru!" "It's okay Takeyoshi, I'll be fine. Do you want a hug?" "*Sniff* Yes…" "Come here pal."

Takeyoshi hugs the doll as he lets his tears out. Harry shed a few tears, while I smiled at the fact that this is who Harry represents. A calm, cowardly, bundle of joy who knows how to comfort the little guys. Monigami thinks that niceness is disgusting, and he keeps away niceness in a jail, but he completely forgot to make him mean like his other imaginary things. I bet that plays a huge part in having Harry as a friend as a whole. He may be a little regretful and scared at times, but it looks like this might be the only thing here that actually has a heart.

I also felt a little better after I lashed out against those Shadows, so maybe that's why I smiled at that moment. Nah, it's probably how Harry is always so friendly with those he likes. From the moment he stared at me awkwardly, to the times he tried to comfort me when I got out of control, Hakaru Yumasu is just too nice for this world. So after Takeyoshi was done hugging, we said our goodbyes as the guards spotted the doll.

We remained calm the whole time, and ignored the Shadows rushing at full speed towards us as we took the exit. This was a heartfelt moment, I'm not gonna let some tension ruin it. I turned Takeyoshi around as he waved goodbye to that lovable doppelgänger.

"Bye Doll-Hakaru!" "See you soon Doll-Harry." "Goodbye other self!" "Safe travels my friends." As Harry and Takeyoshi let their sorrows show, I just stayed perfectly calm the whole time now that I've seen some sides of Harry I've never seen before: His regret, his determination, and his friendliness. That's who Hakaru Yumasu represents, and not even the mind of a twisted brat can ever change that.

We heard a thump sound as we left the Metaverse. They may have got him, but we'll be back, he made sure he knows it too. We made it back to the real world and me and Harry's clothes turned back to normal. Although, I am without my shades and my spiky hair, but I can manage without them for a bit. When we returned, Harry had an accomplished smile on his face, I pretty much smiled too, but Takeyoshi was still a bit shook from leaving Doll-Harry behind. In response, Harry decided to cheer him up...

"Doll-Hakaru… I miss you already…!" "Don't worry about it Takeyoshi, we'll see him again. On the plus side, Jin'ichi awakened his Persona for the first time, was that awesome or what?" "Um… yeah?" "And did you see the look on Monigami's face? He was quite surprised that we swam in his pool and let Jin'ichi become Gremlin." And just like that, the kid quickly turned his frown upside down and got bouncy again: "Yeah! That was amazing! Did you see the way he got really mad? And his hair spiked up like those super cool comic book heroes! He was so cool, I'm sure Doll Hakaru will be safe once we get him back!" "Wow, that was fast!" Harry says scratching his head while smiling awkwardly.

Y'know, I've been thinking, I haven't exactly thanked them for playing a part in my awakening... "Harry, Takeyoshi, I know that you two directed Monigami at me so that I could awaken my Persona. I gotta say, what you did was very uncalled-for..." "It was Takeyoshi's idea! He figured if he could get you mad, you would snap out of your traumatized state and awaken your Persona!" Harry of course got a little frightened by my serious nature, and Takeyoshi braced himself by crossing his arms for some reason:

"Are you gonna hit me?" I just smiled and replied: "No." "You aren't? But why?" Now I placed my arm on his right shoulder, as an obvious sign that I'm budding up with him. "Kid, if it weren't for that idea, we wouldn't have been able to escape on our own. You took Monigami's pride, and put on someone who desperately needed a slap back to reality. It's been our second day as Phantom Thieves, and you've already helped us even without any special powers. With stakes this big, it takes guts to become a pro like Joker and his team, and you my friend had the guts to hatch a plan to turn me into Gremlin. It doesn't matter what anyone else tells you, you've got the skills of a true Phantom Thief."

Harry happily joined in like the nice guy he is: "Yeah! With proper training, you'll become a very important member of our gang. Me and Jin'ichi will personally help train you to be at your best. We believe in you Takeyoshi, all the way to the very end!" "You guys… That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!" Uh oh, we made him tear up some more, this time out of joy.

Then Takeyoshi hugs it out with us. These hugs actually remind me of my mother. I've never felt so warm since the last hug I got from her. I savored the moment as I cracked a small tear for her. After we finished hugging Takeyoshi took off his cap and gave it to me with a bright smile on his face and tears running down his eyes: "I think you need this more than I do, I've got about 5 extras in the closet." I picked up the hat, remembering the words he said back at the pool, and then spun it around placing it backwards once more: "I'll always cherish it kid."

I looked around as we walked away from Monigami's plain old house as I looked at Takeyoshi asking him something: "Me and Harry want some bro-time, can you make the trip to HEX alone?" "Sure, take all the time you need, but not too long." Takeyoshi ran ahead of us as Harry almost objected to that before I told him: "Harry, let the kid go on ahead, it's not really far from Central Street, there shouldn't be any kind of trouble." Harry smiled and stopped his right arm from raising using his other arm.

After that, we were just walking on our own two feet. We walked over there as we talked, stopping occasionally so Harry could keep up. Let's just say, there was a lot on my mind that I had to clear up with him.

"Harry. I just wanted to let you know how much it means for sticking by my side. If it weren't for your sudden burst in courage back there, I wouldn't have found out the truth about my mother."

"I couldn't have done it without you bud. You inspired me to become a better person right there. I needed to find out the truth about that jail and why did the dolls look like humans."

"Yep. You know, that conversation at the pool was just so you wouldn't feel ashamed about swimming with me and Takeyoshi."

"I know. You guys just wanted me to have a bit of fun before we knew there was a key at the bottom we couldn't reach."

"Yeah, we might need to do something about that later... hey, Harry, why did you pull the string?" "Huh?"

"Even though I told you to fall back, you decided to pull the string of your double anyway. Normally, you'd be alright with retreating. What pushed you to discover the truth?" "Well…" Harry makes that depressed face again, filled with regret and sorrow from his past. He watched me pour my heart out, now it's time to drink his glass...

"You want to know something? I hate being the coward I am now. I can't help but shriek upon the sight of a spider, and yet I just wish I wasn't the scared man everyone thinks I am… Every time someone calls me a coward, I want to cry myself to sleep because that's who I am. The only times I do want to help are either when someone I know is in trouble, or when I am reminded of that coward inside me."

"I mainly hate my cowardly side because I was unable to save someone I know back then because of it. But it also had something to do for when I wanted justice for Kamoshida, but it didn't work out until the last second. The reason I wanted to become a Phantom Thief is because I wanted to be a better person, especially not a coward. I wanted to save people who couldn't save themselves, but I ended up turning it into a grudge match. Sometimes I wish I was a superhero like the ones on TV, but that's a pipe-dream. There's no way I could be as brave as they are…"

Oh damn, he hates being easily scared? Well, time to do what he would do in a time like this: "Harry, you think heroes were born perfect? Hell no! They all had to suffer too before getting the hang of their powers. Their home planets were destroyed, their families were killed, sometimes both. Every hero starts off weak and unable to cope with their superpowers. But once they are fully developed, they become the best they can be. It's so satisfying seeing them finally mature after a long time, but the journey is difficult with bumps along the way."

"Take me for instance. I went from ordinary kid, to pathetic trash, to psycho rebel, and now a Phantom Thief in the span of an entire school year. So basically, if you want to become just like your role models, you'd better get ready for a journey too. Because if everyone was perfect, who needs heroes to protect them?"

"Thanks Jin'ichi. I'm just glad I got to share this experience with you." "Me? You were the first one with that app! I think this whole experience was guided by you and your friend. If it weren't for you, we would've never helped Takeyoshi become more rebellious in his own right, and I wouldn't even know what really happened to my mother."

"You sure bring up your mother a lot, do you miss her?" "Yes I do. I never thought the one thing holding me back would be my own dang mother. Thanks again for being brave for once." "My pleasure." There's that charming little smile of his, it never gets old even if it ages. I would say the world needs more Hakarus, but I think that'll just mean they'll all be scared of spiders.

"Hakaru! Jin'ichi! HEX has something to tell us!" "Whoa Takeyoshi! We're there already!?" "I guess our conversation was longer than I thought..." As usual, I shrugged it off as I pat Harry on the back and we entered the bizarre darkness.

We walked into the alleyway, with Takeyoshi thankfully unharmed, and we saw the strange guy who looked wasted. He says he's a private agent for the Phantom Thieves, but with that attire, he looks more like a homeless man who looks sketchy enough to scam us out of our money. But for some reason I trusted him, because if he got a life this bad because of his business, I had to help support him and the Thieves. Anyways he taught us a thing or two about the Cognitive World, and now whenever we finish a mission, we usually report back to him for any details we might've missed.

"So… was I right to predict that Jin'ichi would awaken his Persona?" Said the man with a voice that sounded so bizarre and so unfortunate for his mental state. "Um… yeah. How did you know?" Harry was confused about the accuracy of HEX's prediction, thankfully the stranger had the paper trail to prove his point: "Jun'ichi Sumula was indirectly connected to Monigami, it was only a matter of time before he discovered his potential."

"Hey! I'm connected to Monigami too, how come I don't get any Personas yet?" "Takeyoshi, Monigami might not be the thing holding you back. If you want to awaken, you must overcome what truly holds you back if you want to become stronger."

"Oh…" "But that doesn't mean you don't have something that can help you. Remember the 'sticky sword' you used? Normally, it would be a stick to the people's cognition, but in your case, you made the stick become a sword." "I did…?" Takeyoshi asks. HEX looks a bit weird when he smiles, I get that he's supporting us, but whenever he smiles it just feels wrong...

"A child's imagination is a key essence of the human mind. They are also considerably stronger than hundreds of adult imaginations, in fact, you can directly influence their perspective of you by pretending that something is something else. When you claimed the stick to be a sword, your imagination overrode the cognition of belief that it was a stick." "Um…?" Now Takeyoshi was confused, but Harry figured it out faster than a cheetah:

"That's amazing! It means that whatever Takeyoshi thinks of something, the Cognitive World will change to suit a child's imagination!" "In short, Takeyoshi's mind is so strong it could turn the simplest things he takes with him into something new." I figured that part out so that Takeyoshi could feel even better about himself, it worked.

"So, does that mean… I'm gonna be extra helpful because of my imagination?" "With proper training, yes." HEX smiled again, creepy, but Takeyoshi was jumping up and down either way: "Yippee! I can't wait to go back again!"

"Now wait a second, what did you even do on your second visit?" "That is a good question HEX! So it turns out the main door upstairs is locked, it has 3 locks that we can't crack on our own, but we found a key in the large pool, but we can't seem to reach it!" Good answer Harry, 10 out of 10.

"That is very troublesome indeed. When a key is out of hand, you must find the glove to put it back on." "What…?" "It simply means Hero, that you must find someone capable of swimming under great lengths." I then added to the guy's statement just for good measure...

"Not just anyone, someone who hates Monigami as much as we do, and will be able to keep a secret." "That's right Jin'ichi. The Phantom Thieves started as a group who hated a single individual. If you are all on the same page, then it'll be all the more easy to complete the main objective."

"And that is…?" "Simple Hero. Steal the brat's cognitive desires. Each Palace guards a treasure that they value so dear to their heart. That desire corrupted them into wanting to protect it with their lives. That's where you come in. You must take away their treasures and convince Monigami's Shadow Self to atone for his sins. Killing him wouldn't be an option, after all, you've seen what happens to those on the news haven't you?" Wait, this guy knows about the psychotic breakdowns and the mental shutdowns? Harry immediately grabbed on to that statement and expressed his distress over it.

"S-So, if we kill Monigami's shadow, he might end up just like that train guy?" Somehow Harry triggered Takeyoshi and he bit his fingers as he started shaking with a frightened expression for some reason: "No… not the train, I can't handle the train! Please don't make me go!" The poor dude is scared of trains? Who would've thought? I messed up Takeyoshi's hair as I expressed my concerns and comfort for the little guy: "Hey, no train is gonna get you buddy, we have a job to do, remember?" "He is right about that child, the journey won't be easy though, but with your natural powers, you'll be able to gain the upper hand."

"And what are these powers?" I asked while Harry calmed the kid down with a hug. "I thought you'd never asked. You see, one of the benefits of the Metanav 2.0 App is that any awakenings that take place in it will be extra powerful. As a result, energy from your Persona will leak into your blood enabling special powers that can help you at the cost of energy. They also work in the real world too, but only in short bursts before running out more quickly."

"Huh? Whoa… cool!" Takeyoshi Winslow everybody, the only kid who recovers from emotional pain quicker than any old adult, and amazed by everything but the kitchen sink.

"So… what exactly was my power HEX?" HEX laughed a bit to himself as Harry waited for an answer. That laugh felt kinda off, and that's coming from someone who went laughing mad over those Shadows. "Your power is the most powerful indeed. Not only can you fly and use super strength, but whenever you need an expansion of your powers, you can befriend other Shadows and gain one of their powers." "Yeah, I called it Super Power! It fits with being a hero and it's super powerful!"

"And Jin'ichi, due to your wild nature, you've gained the ability to dismantle anything, and rebuild it however you want." "Heh. Might as well call mine Super Assemble!" I would've called that power ' Super Psychopath' but I'm not that crazy, at least not right now.

"Although don't get too reckless with your powers. Although they can work in favor of you, it also draws strength from your Persona in and out of reality. Relying on it too much will make your Persona too weak to fight. Hakaru's life is in danger right now, and you have only 2 weeks to do your job. I hope you realize what's at stake if you let Monigami into Yumasu's property."

"We do. We'll save the world from the corrupt one brick at a time am I right Harry, Takeyoshi?" "Right!" "You had me at treasure!" We all did a high-five, Takeyoshi offered one to HEX, he refused, and from that point onward our goal was clear: Swipe the booty from Shadow Monigami, and make the kid do the exact thing Kamoshida did, only with ten times more crying. Because, y'know, he's a kid, and kids cry? It's jabs like these that fly by people's heads.

We then split back up as we all went to our homes, I wondered to myself how was his own son going to explain the truth of my mother to Katio. He's already home fixing up dinner, I didn't want to disturb him while making dinner, because it's better if you talk with him at the table. He's in a chatty mood whenever we eat, so I guess I picked a good time to talk. Unfortunately, he noticed me not eating like a hog like I've gotten used to…

"Um… son? What's on your mind?" "Whoa Kaito, I don't think your stomach can handle what's on it." "Son, if you let something get to you, you'll go soft, we can't have that now!" "Okay, but you asked for it… I know what happened to my mother…" I said with little hesitation. Whoa, Kaito coughed up his drink of cola out faster than I thought. After a few coughs he recovered, so it's no big deal.

"H-How did you know!?" "I heard about it from a couple of friends, that Monigami kid that visited us the other day did something to her while I was at school suffering at the hands of Kamoshida…" Katio tried to come up with an excuse, but realizing I wasn't in the mood for any shenanigans, he finally cooled down enough to reveal what went down when the rumors started flying about me...

"... I was hoping it didn't come to this, but I guess the only way you'll be tough again is if I tell you everything that happened that day. It all started when you were about to leave for school, the Peroskis dropped their son off to play with your mother. I had 4 jobs that day, each about something different. I scrambled from place to place working as hard as I could to make a benefit, but deep down inside me, I knew something terrible was about to happen..."

"My gut was right, unfortunately, when I returned home that day, the place was an absolute train wreck! There was junk everywhere on the floor, writing on the walls, and the newspaper got shredded. I had to work my butt off even more to fix the place before you got home, and that's why you saw me tired as hell back then. A few of the words weren't even from the child, they came from your mother! They were definitely not the finest words, telling you them now would just be suicidal."

"I also noticed a letter to your mother from the school, which was sent to her by the time I came home. It was about those claims about rape and shoplifting Kamoshida made up. She definitely went off the deep end there, because one of the first sights I saw when I got home that day was her screaming her head off in the police car. She was treated to a mental hospital for the time being, but she was imprisoned for what she was going to do with the kid. Now you and me both knew that she wasn't feeling well when she woke up that morning, and that the rumors about you got to her, but Monigami Peroski also played his hand, which made things even worse."

"There have been various reports of babysitters going insane from taking care of the child, but he's too young to be punished by the law. And so, that's how your mother ended up disappearing. I saw how you were acting when you got home, I didn't want to make your day worse, so I made up the part about her disappearing so you wouldn't be that worried about her…"

I see, he didn't want to upset me back then, had he explained the whole truth after that rough day, I would've probably gone even more crazy. But deep down inside him, he has the same level of regret for not telling me sooner, I always thought he was just here to mentor me, and this was my final test before I could become a pro like him.

"Kaito, you could've told me that sooner and I would've understood… But, I appreciate that you were worried about me suffering enough. Was she really mad at me when she went insane?"

"No… sure she screamed like a lunatic when I saw her, but she was also crying thinking that she created a monster. I know because I got a good look at the car taking her away…"

"Dang it… and to think, her last words to me were 'I'll always love you'..." "You know what? That's exactly what she said to me too, but not before saying 'I'll be fine'..."

"She wasn't… Kaito, I'm just glad you're all the family I have left… even when I was pushed, shoved and punished for nothing, I'm just glad you understood my pain when nobody else did… what has this world come to? They're only willing to accept the truth if that truth is a big fat lie. And those faces everyone made at me, I understand that they were just them poking fun at me, but if you see it enough times, you can really tell what the fuck is happening inside their twisted heads…"

"They only pick on people weaker than themselves because they've got nothing better to do. When I became 'the beast', nobody ever made that damn face at me again. They were even planning on beating the absolute shit out of me because of some more dirty rumors. And yet, it's because of people like them, that made me realize that I'm stronger than they thought I was, both physically and mentally."

"Yeah… when I was your age, perhaps even younger, I was worried that if I did anything wrong, I would definitely pay the price. Your mother when she was twice your age was pretty much nice and leveled headed, she was just introduced into reality the wrong way, that's all. If you ask me, that deal we made with Kamoshida was indeed a stupid idea, but it's too late to back down now…"

"Yep." "And to think, while everyone else wanted you to suffer for something you didn't do, I knew you were good no matter what they said. You're all I have too you know, besides my job and this yard, I couldn't bear to believe anything Kamoshida says. I've seen him dishonest before and let me tell you, everyone fell for it. That is, everyone except me. My family is more important than someone who won just one medal in some sports competition."

"When I lost your mother and I hugged you when you cried, I never wanted to let go. I helped you become a better man when everyone refused to even call you by your real name. The world turned its back on you, but ever since you were born, I never stopped believing in you no matter what. You had the potential to be someone better, you were just blinded by the desires of a celebrity that made you the man you are today. And it's because of me that you finally had the chance to express yourself in a way that no one could've predicted."

"Hey, whose idea was it to piss Kamoshida enough to let me be someone I wasn't before?" "That would be you my son, I never doubted you! I don't mind a little violence in your school, but please don't go overboard and kill somebody."

"I know, thanks a bunch dad." "Your welcome… and thank you for calling me dad. It's been so long since I heard you call me that. T-This doesn't mean you'll be good again right…?"

"Hell no! I'll still be that thug that 'everyone hates' but now I'll be much more sparing on the 'poor boys'! But the second they bat an evil eye, I'll knock 'em right upside the head!"

"Now that's something the school better watch out for! I'm gonna be rich in no time!" "Yeah, thanks for sticking by my side dad."

"That's what I do best, stick to my job to the very end! And my most important job is, to make sure you have the best school year possible..."

And that's the reason why we hugged that night. Now most adults are corrupt and evil and all, but this is a pure example of niceness. My dad knows I'm all he has left, and he never wants to let me go, but even he knows I'm just that reliable for the job. I even tried searching for him on that app I got from HEX, he doesn't even appear anywhere! That's how much my dad loves me, he's so pure hearted, with the best of intentions, and while he may be a little on the greedy side, he's still the best dad I got.

I just wished there was more people like him so that we wouldn't all have to suffer, but nobody's perfect you know. It's all thanks to Harry that I was able to overcome my fear and bring me back to reality. Now that we know how to get through the Palace like a boss, we're going to start getting serious about this mission to change his heart! Now that both me and Harry have both obtained the facade to overcome fear, and now that Takeyoshi knows of his potential as an imagining machine, it's time to find someone new who hates Monigami enough to join the party.

It was hard to find just one candidate, but today is another day off from school and there're two days away until it starts back up. We'd better get our act together then or else Harry would get in trouble for not studying well. Just then, we found our hot chick over by the beach, it was a long walk on its own, but we found her.

She was some sort of psychic that believes in stuff like purification, karma, and healing of the soul. Her hair was crystal blue, long and wavy like the seas themselves, her appearance looks young as a baby turtle, her beauty felt as graceful as the seagulls flying through the wind. Harry of course was daydreaming of her while Takeyoshi was still glad we didn't take the train, I don't know why, and I just felt like we found our match with a condescending smirk.

Just the other day I heard a rumor that someone peed in the sea, and we think it was Monigami who did it. She seems a bit too peaceful to actually fight alongside us, but who else has a grudge against a child that pretends to be nice? If this goes unchecked, then she might be a 'poor girl'! What? I have the pride to call women something different y'know!

Like I said before, it may be too late for me to stop being rough and tough, but when you've got people to look after because of it, that's when you know that you can rebuild something that was long broken before... friendship.


	3. Chapter 1 (Akiyo): A Lady of Purity!

Don't you just love the ocean? It's filled with all kinds of wonderful creatures, it's waves are always trying to make it to shore, it rarely ever does, and while there may be bloodshed occasionally, I don't mind as long as they receive bad karma for their actions. And there's no better time to celebrate the ocean and it's glory than the end of my homeschooled year. I'm at my booth near the beach, it is a very well polished booth with sea shells, magic charms and it's great for palm reading. Greetings, my name is Akiyo Chi, the amazing psychic and spiritual guider. Today I shall enlighten you with the knowledge of how to change one's heart for the better. This fantastical story will guide me on a journey that even I have never taken before.

It all started when I was born in the Chi family, they are a family who thrives on peace and blessings. My father sells peaceful medicine to make those around him feel better, my mother runs a charity event where she donates flowers to gardens, oh what fun they must be having right now. I was always the child left behind on their silly adventures, but I still respected my family as a whole regardless.

I regularly go to Sunday-School when I was younger, and there I learned about God and His will. The mere concept of someone special watching over us no matter what was amazing. I used to be scared of the dark before I learned that God will protect me, and that knowledge led to the necessary development as I helped make the medicine we used to help others. We all had tons of fun knowing that our Lord will guide us safety through life, but my sister is another story.

Her name was Machi Chi, which sounded good in the birth room, but over time she grew sour. When I was 6 years old, and my sister was about 18, I wanted to talk to her about peace and all things pure. At the time, I had little idea what was pure and what was corrupt ever since our Sunday school taught us what they knew about it. Unfortunately, I still couldn't understand their teachings despite what they told me, so I talked to her regardless of our age differences…

"U-Um… sister? I just want to know something about purity. What do you think the words 'pure' and 'corrupt' mean?" "Well… if corrupt means anything that doesn't sit right with you, then pure must mean the best you see out of people. There, that's the answer you wanted right? Now please let me focus!"

She seems a bit stressed about something important she's doing. I didn't know what she was doing at the time, but it turns out that my sister became a huge movie star! She made so many appearances it made that Goro Akechi guy seem pathetic. But that doesn't mean he wasn't one step ahead, solving the cases of the suddenly corrupt humans of the world. Their fame went on neck and neck and here I was still trying to figure out what exactly is pure and corrupt.

I could tell she was stressed out due to her constant yelling and bickering with her parents. The one moment that really set her off though was her not being in the next movie in the series she once claimed was perfect. She thrashed her room in frustration, denied my parent's pacifism, and when I asked her about purity again, she almost hit me. I could see the anger in her eyes as she struggled to see the light.

But even if she was turning sour, I was proud of my sister either way, but I still wound up asking her the same question over and over. I don't know why, but my parents always claimed they were too busy to be asked, and my sister was the only one available whenever she was home. What she defined was pure and corrupt that day didn't sit right with me, what I needed was a heartfelt answer, not a rushed answer.

She was right about most of the other things she said, so even when my parents weren't busy, I asked her that question unaware that she was slipping. I was so proud of her becoming famous, I couldn't help but ask for her advice even if she disregards what I say. She was my sister, and sisters don't leave each other in the dust. I even get questions from her like: "Don't you have anything better to do?" Of course I do, but still no matter what nasty things she says, I respected her until the end of time.

She used to be so nice before she became a movie star, and thus I thought she would never change, even if she were to neglect my help. This went on for quite some time, after a while I could not see why she kept refusing to talk to me, even after I stopped asking. But then, one day, on the night of my sweet sixteenth, was all it took for me to see the truth.

My sister personally invited some strange men into our little wooden house by the beach. They used their left arm to shoot my mother and father with deranged grins, and they were holding some sort of bottled beverage in their right one. I had no idea what they were doing, I was just sitting there, staring at the corpses of my beloved familiars in shock, but I'm always welcome to strangers in my house. Sure I was a bit mad at them for killing my parents, but regardless, I did my best to make them feel welcome.

So in respect I bowed to them welcoming them to our home, but then they angrily pushed me down onto the floor. I couldn't understand it, there must've been something wrong with these two gentlemen, because they clearly don't know I'm a pacifist. And even if they did know, they would take advantage of that knowledge, but still I looked at the two men as they chuckled while I laid there nearly helpless on the floor.

That's when the jeans came off, and then the internal barrier blocking man and his 'joystick'. I was not worried, God will protect me no matter what. But these men, I had no idea what they were about to do...! My sister brought them in to murder my family, and yet I still believed in her no matter what she does. Unfortunately, it became hard to keep those beliefs as the men began to touch me in ways I never thought were allowed before…

They took off my clothes, and then the rest of their clothes followed shortly after. My face was turning red, what could they be doing with those things? I've never seen things that unusually big, and upon closer examination of their faces, they were actually one of our customers! This wasn't right at all, the medicine was supposed to make them feel happiness, but it looks like that they have taken too much of it, and now they must be deluded into thinking those things between their legs would fit inside me!

They grabbed onto my breast and my privates, and then they started stroking. I tried to deny this strange feeling as they started to use unfamiliar toys in the process of this encounter, I held firm that I would survive! But then, they went all out on me and forced me to swallow whatever that white stuff was inside that stick! I tried to warn my sister, as she was the closest to the men, but she watched with a smirk as she seemed to be enjoying this.

Wait, why would she enjoy something like this!? I thought she knew what was best for me, but here I am being forced to endure this punishment for constantly annoying her! I probably should've seen it coming, knowing that she almost hit me back then, but I didn't know that she would do something this cruel until it was too late! I started to cry a bit as I was getting mixed signals from the pleasure, pain, and fear that I was dragged into…

They wouldn't listen, they started licking my whole body like a fresh lollipop, and then they started to take advantage of my position to attack from both the mouth and my posterior. Both were soon filled with the white stuff as I felt even sicker than before. I couldn't tell if I was enjoying this or not, I was too busy keeping a stick in my mouth. This went on for quite awhile as my mind kept getting more and more broken for each time they attacked me. Sister, if you could just help me, and stop these men from any further damage, I would honored to never ask anything from you ever again. That's what you wanted right? She never listened to my small pleas, or rather, I never told her that I needed help. After a few attacks, I couldn't speak at all, and soon I would lose focus on what really mattered to me, what was my purpose in life?

But no matter what I did to stop them, or even when I tried to embrace them, they wouldn't stop. It was all a rush from then on, they somehow knocked me out in the manner of minutes. I couldn't remember anything else about that night, but when I woke up the next morning, I was a mess! My actual clothes were somewhere else other than my body, my lips tasted funny, and I was forced to wear this strange pink leather outfit that openly exposes my privates.

I had trouble processing what was going on, I was embarrassed and confused as hell as I tried to piece together what was going on. But before I could, my sister came in, looking like someone who walked the red carpet. I tried to talk to her, but all I could do was stutter, and when she looked at me, she had a devilish grin even bigger than the one she had last night. She showed an expression of complete dominance and evil, which shocked me when I saw her in this state, as she walked over to my filthy body, and whispered in my ear…

"This is what corrupt truly means. You've got a bad taste in your mouth because of those sinful people, and now you have become corrupted yourself. This is what humanity truly thinks of those who are corrupt. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you'll be able to become purified."

I had no idea what she was talking about, but those expressions, those voices that sounded like a lunatic, and especially the way they handled me, was that all really corrupt!? I-If that's what corruption feels like, then purification must be the opposite of how I felt... wait, if they were corrupted, and if I was pure before they arrived...

That's when it hit me. What those men did to me that night must've somehow corrupted me. I have really become corrupt? "That's absurd!! I'm not corrupted, I can't be corrupted! Can I be corrupted...? N-no! I refuse to accept that I have been corrupted by those darn men!" I thought to myself as my breathing was at a maximum, my eyesight was getting poor and I couldn't get this funny taste out of my mouth. In a desperate gamble, I knew there was only one thing to make me happy again: the medicine. My father told me specifically not to eat the medicine, because I was not sick at the time that I asked him.

But, if being corrupt makes you sick, then now would be the most perfect time to try it! I crawled and scrambled to my parents room, inside was the supplies for making the medicine. It smells weird, but I had to at least try it before my sister finds some other way to make me even more impure! I rushed to the wooden cabinet and I took every damn medicine my father had, even the ones that weren't simply purifying at all, I ate every last one of them as I felt a smile on my face.

My mind that was once in an overdosed state of horror, was now beautifully cured! The happiness I felt cancels it all out, but this feeling just kept getting stronger, and stronger, forcing my mind to wander in a frightening limbo of pleasure. And then, I fainted, no mere man should've been consuming this much medicine but it was a miracle that I somehow survived.

When I recovered, a couple of different men looked at me as they expressed concern for me. My head was fuzzy at the time, but they helped me up and out of that strange costume as I looked and saw the ace detective Goro Akechi at the wooden table with my sister. The teenage superstar who was working on the cases of fowl criminals losing their minds, were those nice people from yesterday just more victims of this… unidentified syndrome…?

Ow... my head still hurts from all of my father's medicine I took, along with the pain I felt from yesterday. My sister seems to be very concerned about me as she talked to the detective with a distressed voice, but I can't let Akechi see me in this foul state. I hid my body from the rest as I tuned into what they were saying...

"...came out of nowhere and raped my poor sister! She was lucky to survive, whatever she must've been through must've been their first attack!" "Calm down madam, I can assure you that we're doing our best to find your sister's captors." "Thankfully, I managed to pinpoint the addresses of these criminals. Here, maybe this'll help shorten the search a bit." She handed Akechi a piece of paper, if I had to guess, she must've- ow... It's no use, I can't think straight after what just happened to me...

"Indeed it will. Thanks for cooperating, Mrs. Chi. Should we do something about your sister?" "No no, she's my sister, I'll take care of her until she recovers." "I must insist, help is on their way to mend the wounds in your sister's mind" "Hey, I said I'll take care of her. And besides, don't you have a family of your own to take care of?"

That's when I felt it, a dark aura covered my sister and her face did a sickening smile. I tried to ignore it, but this cold feeling in my heart wouldn't go away. That's when I knew that she wasn't acting like herself anymore, my very own sister was corrupt! I thought I took too much medicine, but it should've cancelled itself out!

There's no doubt about it: That experience I had last night must've given me the supernatural ability to tell the pure from corrupt! I don't know whether to feel happy or scared of this new power, but one thing is for certain, I couldn't just tune it out, it's too unbearable! I stuttered as I tried to warn Akechi about her but…

"You don't have to rub it in..." He said that under his breath in a way that was completely different from the calm attitude I've gotten to know Akechi for. Suddenly, I felt that same aura from Akechi too! He, too, was corrupt! I shivered in fear as I realized this new power was making me feel like I want to die!

Any other person would just ignore this warning, but I was horrified by this sudden ability I've gotten, and it's all because of her! I couldn't stand being in the same room as those two anymore, they felt too impure for me to handle! Despite my panicked state, as I was being dragged away by some men in blue, I managed to hear the rest of the conversation between the two from outside...

"I'm sorry what?" "Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry, I'll be fine." "Uh huh…" "Take good care of your sister, I hope she gets better soon." "Me too, goodbye Mr. Akechi."

I was mentally treated at a nearby medical procedure, I explained what had happened to the doctor, and for some reason I felt more comfortable than usual. I saw a bright light spawn from his gentle personality, his presence made me feel even calmer than normal. It was such a relief, I never noticed that purity would feel so good after facing corruption. At that moment, I understood everything I was told: If someone has a light inside their heart, they are pure. If someone has darkness in their heart, they are corrupt.

Knowing this made me stronger, and it made it easier for me to see who was chosen by God to be my light in the dark... when I got home the next day, my sister was expecting me. After the nice men left, I was left alone with corruption... She still had that smile and that dark aura, it made me shiver in fear again, I never thought I would be scared of my own sister!

She grabbed my arm with her corrupt hand, and it made me think twice about my respect for my sister. Normally when someone touches my hand, no matter who it was, it felt very comfortable. But now that I've seen the truth, my own sister's corrupted hand felt cold, even a hundred winters couldn't compare to the coldness I felt as I was dragged towards her evil face…

"My sister. Do you like the taste of corruption? This is for your own good sister. I'm doing this to support your obsession with peace, but I mainly did it because you would stop bugging me about peace and love. I don't care for that bullshit, in fact, I hate it! Hugs and kisses won't get you anywhere my sister, you'll have to do something about corruption if you want to become pure again. And let me tell you this now, eating all of your father's drugs won't cut it!"

Wait, I thought I wasn't allowed to eat drugs! Those medicines my father took, and then gave to the nice people of the world, they were all responsible for my corruption!? I-I didn't know that, then again, people started to act funny once they started taking his medicines and... huh? Sister, what's going on? Why is your head starting to shake...? Why are you starting to struggle to get your words out...?

"What? You thought it was medicine he gave you? If he really cared about you, he would've told you that... that… those… were… d-d-d-d-d-d-d-dru-"

And then I experienced the horror of my sister suddenly shaking as she was trying to get the message to me. Her eyes started to twitch as she was trying to overcome something she had in her head. Then, her pupils disappeared from her face as a strange black substance, her corrupted essence, foamed from the mouth as her grip loosened up. I fell to the floor as I stared at her motionless body in shock. I screamed, I didn't know what to make of it but it was utterly horrifying seeing my sister as a motionless statue! I tried to wake her up, but she never moved again, she was stuck like this no matter how hard I shook her. Is this what corrupt people truly feel like? She was so impure that it was too much to bear, and now she can't move!

The police later came over again and I explained to them everything that went down here. They cleared up that my sister had a mental shutdown, a strange phenomenon of people dying or going insane for no reason. To think that my own sister fell prey to all the stress she built as a movie star, I felt sorry for her even if she was corrupt.

I had to testify in court, but I only wanted to do it if everyone in the room was pure, aside from the criminal. And believe me, the feeling of purity was so satisfying. Everyone who was pure gave off a bright light that soothes my soul whenever I find it. It felt like the angels from up above were taking away what was corrupt about me. It felt so good, I never wanted it to stop! But when I left that day, I saw the world in a new light, a much more predictable light.

The coward was an impossible mixture of pure and corrupt. I was beginning to hyperventilate until I returned home where it was safe and quiet. There's no one around to help these poor souls become pure of heart, and if they don't do anything now, there will be plenty of others who will be corrupted just like me! Someone around here has to make them all pure, because if they don't, I'll be overwhelmed by confusion! That's when my goal was clear, I had to save this corrupt world from itself one human at a time. My sister died because she too was corrupted, I had to do something before anyone else suffers the same fate!

Using the money my family earned, despite it being used to buy those drugs my sister told me about, I managed to make a living of myself and craft a booth where I can help those in need. Seeing beautiful lights and dark auras were really starting to get to me, if no one else will dispose of these corruptions then maybe I would be perfect to suit the job. I wouldn't let anyone else be corrupted, or at least not corrupted enough to die.

That's why I work at the booth, a magical place where I took inspiration from people's favorite things, and then sorted out the good and the bad much quicker than I thought. The pure people like simple things like books, apples, or the latest update to a phone. The corrupt people like things that are twisted and impure like money, crime, and boobs! What twisted people they are, I'll fix them good, just wait.

I crafted some stone charms based off of people's favorite things, this took a considerable amount of time out of my days. Whenever I was hungry, I made myself a salad, if I got thirsty, then I would make lemonade. I could perfectly take care of myself without very many bills to pay. And my booth was officially open at the same time I heard that a man named Kamoshida was protecting himself from a man who was… pure?

I didn't understand why someone pure would be blamed for something that someone else did, that is until one day when I tried talking to him on his way to school. I caught his car driving along the streets as I returned home from material shopping, he seemed rather happy to see me so he stopped and rolled down his window. He has a strange face with curly hair, I wasn't sure if he was corrupted yet so I asked him calmly: "Hello? May I help you?"

"Excuse me young lady, aren't you supposed to be in school? I can take you there if you want." He said looking like he wanted me to ride in the car. My special power hasn't triggered yet, but I had to tell him about my situation: "Um, I'm sorry no, I'm self-taught and I look forward to your... contribution…?" As I kept talking, I noticed Kamoshida's smile turned slowly into a frown, not just any frown, a frown that means he won't be able to do anything he particularly likes with me.

And by that, I feared he must've been thinking of doing something terrible to me! I couldn't see what was wrong with such an innocent frown until he opened his mouth again: "Huh, so you are homeschooled… Oh well, it's not like there's more people like you around…" Then, his dark aura sprang to life! I ran away as he drove away! When I made it back to my home, my mind was made up! I had to purify all of the corrupt souls out there, but if they refuse purification, I'll let God punish them for their sins! If He's watching over me, then he must've been tired of doing nothing for the people of this world too!

Right now, there's only one thing to do, sit here and wait for people to show up. I think I'll consider turning my house into a shop for the pure hearted. I dyed my hair clear blue like the gentle seas when it was originally a pale brown, and I designed a special crystal blue outfit made from that corrupted outfit I wore and made it better. Now it doesn't expose everything, but it gives people the impression that I am a beautiful woman. If anyone gets that impression, they're either in love with me or they're corrupt, that's how it works.

My booth has a wide standard of features, I can palm read, I can heal others using special liquid, I even hand out sea shells for free in case any young ones who want to listen to the ocean. But my biggest selling point is my ability to use special charms made forged from stone to help or hinder others. The good people of the city can name their price, but I'll mind if the price is below ¥1,000.

These charms are special indeed, they are fueled by the inspiration of both sides to make them worth a lot. They appear in the shape of both pure and corrupt favorite things. There are two different factors that will determine whether the outcome is good karma or bad karma: The way you look and the way you sound. Each type of karma represents your past actions and I can already tell them apart using my pure sensors. I came up with a method to see whether someone is truly pure or corrupt depending on the charm they wished for.

Let's say we have an ordinary man, he is very shy around crowds, he seems to be a nice guy, but the second he smiles… he's pure! I feel that warmth in my heart and then I'll be happy to meet his demands…

"Welcome to my palace of all things holy, how may I help you?" "Well, I have this girl I want to ask out, she's super sweet and gentle, but I don't have the confidence to ask her." "In that case, you should take my 'Charm of Lovers'. Made from all of my heart that will create feelings of passion for one day." "R-Really? Thanks!"

And it turns out, these charms actually work. My sense of purity isn't just restricted to humans, it also works on objects much more different than regular humans. Instead of sensing whether something is pure or not, I taught myself to sense emotions too. Any object I create using stone and hand colored rocks must be in tune with what emotion I want. If I wanted a heart, I must feel the passion of love, so I read romance novels about vampires to get my blood boiling. If a ghost is what I want, all I need to do is look at someone corrupt so that I panic enough to create one.

And afterwards, once the formation is solid, I'll be able to feel that same emotion as before as the emotions were literally poured into the sculpture. I don't know how I do it though, maybe it's because of the way I took a lot of medicine -or drugs- that made me this sensitive to emotions. But regardless, whatever care I put into that object will inflict an aura that anyone can feel. So that heart charm I gave him was filled with love that'll last for 24 hours, after that, it wears off as I hope that he doesn't get cocky and try to date his girlfriend again while thinking the charm is still working.

My business is semi-popular with the people, and they enjoy a good magical charm every so often. So if you have a pure heart that needs a helping hand, you've come to the right place. But what happens if someone is corrupt? Let's find out, shall we? Look at that man: he's charming, tightly dressed, and he appears to be walking home from work. But how does he respond to me…? Gah! That was an impure smile! The air around me feels cold whenever I'm near someone corrupt, but I can't let him know that!

He's more of the type who will call the police if I end up freaking out in front of him. So I try to remain calm at all times, trying to hide my fear from him, and then I try to be upbeat as he stops and stares at me like a creep…

"Welcome… how may I help you…?" "Well, I was wondering if you could get me something to make me more worthy of women." "Try my exclusive 'Charm of the Booby Bird', it makes you feel like a woman is always watching you wishing you good luck." "Boobs!? How did you know!?" "I just thought you love boobies, so I made this especially for you." "Alright! I don't know who you are, woman, but I respect your decision-making and self awareness. Now if you'll excuse me..."

He runs home with the charm without paying me. That's fine, he's just about to receive divine punishment. He has no idea what I had to do to create this kind of charm. It smells like a woman's boobs, and it takes longer for the charm to wear off, about a week at best, so wherever he goes, he'll smell a woman no matter what he thinks and it'll eventually drive his perverted instincts into rape and possibly jail. Either that, or people will mistake him for having sex with someone and who knows what might happen then.

As someone who knows what people like, I also crafted charms that people don't like by forcing myself to become temporarily impure. I drink, I smoke, but not to a level of addiction, and then those feelings are placed into special charms that only inflict bad karma on you and not any of the surrounding mortals. This is my way of saying the equivalent of a bad word to those who are corrupt. I only sell these charms in private, and even those are kept in a box that only I can open. But other than that, my business is very useful to those with good intentions. Just don't show up looking at me like a pervert, or you'll rot in jail as one. No pressure.

It all comes back to the charms which are made as follows. First comes the glass layout with sand inside, then I insert some regular rock and then I hand dip rocks into a substance that feels like hot Easter egg dye, and then once it cools off, I stick it all together with a special homemade glue that is invisible to the human eye. I also add in seashells and jewels on occasion for some special charms.

After finishing a charm, they go into special containers that keep them fresh and alive until they are unsealed. Whenever I give someone a charm I spend the next few hours recreating that charm, but any corrupt charms must be done inside my house, no exceptions. I put my love and care into each one, even the corrupt ones I had to be gentle with. If these charms don't save humanity from a terrible fate, I don't know what will.

As time went on, my business kept pulling in customers as more incidents happened where people would turn corrupt. It got as bad as me having to remake every last charm using whatever free time I had. But I didn't mind, oh no, I loved the work hours. I take about two hours of sleep and then work the rest of the day, and whenever I'm not having any customers, I use that time to make more charms instead of just waiting for someone to come, I found that to be quite boring.

My business was successful so far, that is until I met a family visiting the beach for some reason. They were pretty average, aside from the chubby looking one, and I was about ready to have another customer. And then, the child's mother and father went to the bathroom, and I was watching him to see if he was pure or not. That's when he approached the sea, looked around for any witnesses, and then he smirked!? By the time I realized he was corrupt, he peed in the sea!!

Nobody was watching him do it, and yet I saw the whole thing unfold! He thinks he could just pee in the same place where hundreds of innocent fish swim freely!? That's the equivalent of dropping poison gas onto a city! His parents were pure when I first saw them, but why is their son like this? If I were to tell them now, they wouldn't believe me due to the circumstances with their son. So I waited till nightfall and I looked up their names in a phone book and an old yearbook. His name was Monigami Peroski, a child who looked sweet, if he hadn't peed in the sea.

I was concerned about this child's health, so I tried calling the family using a cell phone I recently got. I only use it for shopping, calling, and planning, nothing more than that. So I attempted to talk to the mother concerning her child, but before I could spring what her child had done…

"Oh hi! Are you Monigami's new babysitter?" "Huh? N-No, I'm just here to tell you-" "I'm sorry, we really need a babysitter right now so that we can have all the fun we want." "I-I'm sorry madam, I don't quite follow your logic…" "It's okay, you won't have to! Now where do you live? You certainly seem innocent enough not to go crazy like the others."

I hung up on that line, she sounded frantic, desperate, and excited. That is not how a parent should sound like in front of their child, and what did she mean by "go crazy like the others"? Don't tell me… Monigami is trying to infect others with corruption so that the world could be corrupt quicker!? I couldn't imagine it, the thought of a corrupter this powerful is too much for me on my own! So I did some research when I had spare time, while still managing to keep the love and care that goes into every single pebble. Mediation is key for accomplishments like this.

That's just the way I love to live, but I still couldn't get Monigami out of my head! I tried so hard to not dream of him, but the nightmares I had of him started getting worse and worse. I used this to my advantage to produce more corrupt charms than pure charms. To be honest, I was a bit scared of what I was becoming, but it seems to be good for business. I even managed to get zero customers one day and remake every charm I had so flawlessly. All the stress is making me do things even quicker than before surprisingly! But I still couldn't get Monigami off of my mind… I need some way I can purify him, while trying not to look like a hypocrite or a lunatic, but how can I when the child is nearly impossible to be caught…?

This question pondered me for the longest time, until I heard of the rumored Phantom Thieves of Hearts and what they did to Kamoshida. He confessed every crime he had committed, and nobody knew how! If only this could happen to Monigami Peroski, then everything will be alright again! As an enforcer of God's will, I was curious to know about their motives. I wanted to know all about the Phantom Thieves, are they the pure heroes we needed, or are they just a bunch of corrupt crooks…? Only time will tell...

There I was, managing my booth waiting for the next customer to show up with either intentions suitable for heaven or hell. I had already sold more corrupt charms recently because of the fragile state of Tokyo. It was getting out of hand too fast, there's too many people who wanted bad things! My only sanctuary in the world was the humble waters I would retreat to as a means to calm my nerves and remove my corruption. But even today, I still question my desire to punish evildoers by giving them terrible karma.

Ever since the faithful day of my corruption, I kept trying to stop myself from doing too many bad things in an effort to create more pure charms. Unfortunately, the world was slowly getting more and more corrupt as I couldn't help but actually feel glad they're getting what they deserve. My latest customer was some sort of fat slob with clothes that came from a dumpster who watches TV all day, but even though I still felt the sting from the darkness surrounding him, I happily offered him a corrupt charm...

"Welcome, may I interest you in some of my 'Drunken Bottle' charm? I'm sure a slob like you would enjoy it since you are a spec of trash on the face of the Earth." I let myself get too cocky, this man just tackled me! Apparently he recently lost his girlfriend, as explained from the mad ramblings about abandonment and washing away the pain. He was almost ready to take me to his house and then make me his pawn, just like back then…

I wouldn't allow him to corrupt me again, his corrupt attitude must be punished no matter what! I pushed him over using what strength I had, let him have a taste of false-purity by letting him calm down with one of my flower charms, which made him unconscious. And then, just so he rots as the criminal he is, I wanted him to experience the torment of every corrupt charm at once! I place them all over him and let the scent consume him. I called the police by then and removed the charms from his fat disgusting body.

Fortunately for me, he awoken to find that he was so overwhelmed by pain, pleasure, addiction, and heartbreak, that he snapped as he roared at me like a savage beast. I ran into my house and placed myself in a position where he would fuck me. But I never let him do that. Oh no, instead I just got on top for a bit and squeezed his nipples as hard as I could. The result was him getting even more angry at me and forcing him to lunge himself upon me once more. The police showed up shortly before he started, knowing that this slob wasn't fit for mankind, I had to over-exaggerate the details a little so that he would be punished for his corrupted attitude.

They believed my story, they imprisoned the rotting pile of garbage, and thus the world was saved by me! I was so overconfident in myself, there was no way that a single human could ignore my warnings about purification, and thus I experimented my method of eliminating the impure. I planned to use this method on those who believed in impure justice like that Shido person. He believes God is keeping this world safe!? I can feel his corruption as he passes through the streets sometimes, and if he gets elected as the prime minister, then this world is doomed!

But, alas, I have problems of my own to deal with right now. I'm still trying to get Monigami back for sinning in the ocean. I could still cringe at the thought of him being so despicable! And the way his parents sounded so nonchalant about me being his babysitter, it's almost like his family doesn't even care about their son's reputation! For a while, I never found anyone who personally wanted to get even with Monigami. Even asking the rumored Phantom Thieves themselves would be a ridiculous thought, I doubt that they would do anything to fix every over corrupt person instantly, not to mention I am unsure that they would do the job right.

Things were looking a bit bleak, as I have hit a dead-end in my plan. That is, until two days after Kamoshida was exposed, where I saw three boys, each of them being pure of heart! Oh wow, that refreshing light always felt good for me, but I had to see for myself if their intentions were clear...

The first one looked the most cowardly as he awkwardly moved towards me with a smile that indicates he's shy. He's no stranger to donning a nice blue t-shirt and his hair was a dark brown. The second one looked like one of those punks I see on the news, he smirked like he had no care in the world, he somehow wasn't corrupt with that red baseball cap, leather jacket and a pair of shades. Perhaps that's a nice punk? And the third one was definitely too young to be hanging with those two, but he had an eye patch and a different blue baseball cap. He looks happy though, and a child's pure happiness is too precious to wipe away.

I didn't know what else to think about these three, but they are pure of heart, so I guess I'll comply. I'd bet they just want to ask a woman out or something, but I couldn't be any more wrong…

"Welcome to my palace of all things holy, how may I help you?" "Let me do the talking you guys. What's up? My name is Jin'ichi Sumula, and these are my friends Hakaru Yumasu and Takeyoshi Winslow." The punk introduced me to his comrades, Hakaru seems to be a bit shy of my appearance, who can blame me for being beautiful? "Oh… hi!" He waved as I nodded with grace, I was about to recommend a nice charm for these young men until...

"Do you know anyone by the name of Monigami?" "Whoa Takeyoshi! That's too straight to the point!" Said Jin'ichi scratching his head in embarrassment... Monigami huh? You don't suppose that these men don't like Monigami as much as I don't...?

"I would advise that you follow me into my humble abode." I said sternly and calmly as Hakaru was surprised at me for inviting them in so suddenly: "Huh!? We're being invited in her house?!" "Boys, I think we found our winning ticket." "That's a lady, not a ticket Jin'ichi."

I had no idea what they were talking about, but if there was anyone that needed to help me with my dilemma with Monigami and his babysitters, these guys look like the kind of people for the job. I opened the wooden door as the trio looked around my house. The child was most impressed by the scenery, but I couldn't just let them roam the place. I got some of that cola boys like, and some apple juice for the child, as I told them to gather around the wooden table. I placed some papers regarding the babysitters Monigami had and I did my best to explain my dilemma…

"Here's everything I know about Monigami's family so far… the child is a corrupt young being who pees in the ocean. I absolutely hated that with anger of a thousand suns but that's beside the point. The point is, while his parents may be pure now, the child himself fools them into having all the fun they want without him. That's why his parents are so obsessed with finding a babysitter, they would rather have fun than spend time with their child."

Hakaru seems to have a habit of biting down on his lip whenever he feels a bit shook, I could feel a hint of rage from this coward as he expressed his anger over the situation: "That little brat… no wonder why they want to keep switching babysitters…"

"Yeah, Monigami makes the people who take care of him his toys and every time a babysitter is out of commission, he begs his parents to get another one…" Jin'ichi pointed out as I kept explaining: "Yes. The victims all had one thing in common. They have all been reported to be criminally insane once the police got involved. It's almost as if Monigami has complete control over his life. I would do something about this, but I couldn't do it without looking no different from his babysitters."

"Don't worry! We'll help you get even with that slob!" "Yeah! We hate this guy just as much as you do!" Hakaru and Takeyoshi were giving me an expression of determination and the will to fight as I wondered what was going on with them... "Y-you do!? What do you have against him?" I asked almost immediately.

The three of them had their own grudges against Monigami, and they expressed their complaints with anger: "What do we have against him? My mother was one of his goddamn babysitters!" "He wouldn't stop picking on me!" "And I'm going to be his babysitter next unless we do something!"

I see, so Jin'ichi's mother among others were corrupted by Monigami, Takeyoshi had this child as a bully, and Hakaru will suffer great corruption if we don't stop the child. It is clear that this child is even more corrupt than I thought, but Jin'ichi wasn't exactly done talking to me...

"Which is exactly why we need your help. We need a lady in our little gang so that we can take advantage of Monigami's weaknesses. We think you're just the gal for the job." "M-me? You want my help? I was expecting myself to ask you the same thing!" I said when realizing that we all have the same goal. Just then, Hakaru got up close and said something that was really confusing for me to understand...

"Promise not to tell about our secret identities?" "U-um… yes?" "Yahoo! The blue lady joins the party!" The kid cheers as if he's forming a fan club, I mostly wanted to come along with them to help the child in need, but I think there's more to these boys than meets the eye.

"Then it's settled. Let's meet up with another member of our scurvy crew back in Shibuya." Jin'ichi says with pride in his tone. "Okay! But can we please not walk there this time dude? It took us long enough to get here on foot, and by the time we make it back the same way, it'll be too late to do anything." Realizing that Hakaru is worried of our safety, I decided to put the charms I've collected into a tote bag. One little bag can save a life you know.

"In that case, let me grab my charms, you'll never know when you might need them. I'd suggest going by train, it's more common and less suspicious to travel by train." "Huh!? Oh...no… don't take the train! It'll crash!" Takeyoshi crouches down and chatters his teeth, as he was signalling us about his fear of trains…!?

I've seen a child get afraid of monsters every so often, but a child who's actually scared of trains!? That's completely nerve-racking seeing a poor child like him get scared of trains instead of just liking them. "Huh? My child, what's going on?" I dared to ask, the punk answered with an ashamed tone of voice: "I forgot to mention, the kid hates trains for some reason." When I heard that, I immediately hugged the scared boy as I comforted him with all of my might as I desperately tried to stay calm so that he would be calm…

"Oh you poor little boy, I know how it feels to be afraid, I promise I shall never let a train hurt you for as long as I live!" I hugged him hard as Takeyoshi seemed to be calming down just a bit. I turned to Jin'ichi to ask him: "Is there anyway we can get to Shibuya without a train…?" Jin'ichi looks away in shame and then says: "No, the traffic is too heavy as of now, and the only reason we got here in the late-morning was because we woke up early enough to walk there. I guess we'd better take the train…"

Before Takeyoshi could let out another tear, Hakaru jumped in and hugged him too as he said with his voice cracking up: "Takeyoshi, we'll get through this together! Mrs. Akiyo, we'd better stick to him, never let this guy go!" "It is the only way I know how Hakaru…" I said while the two of us squeezed Takeyoshi while hanging on for dear life. We resumed hanging onto him when we got on the train, but Takeyoshi was still scared out of his mind thinking the train would crash! Thankfully Hakaru was there to comfort him as will I! There's no other choice, we had to protect him from the horrors of the train with our very lives!

"It's okay pal, I'll keep you safe from any train crashes…" "I'm right here for you Takeyoshi my child. We shall never stop hugging you until we get off of the godforsaken train." Hakaru and I comforted the heck out of him, this made Takeyoshi feel uncomfortable and tearful at the same time.

"Thank you… but do you guys have to hug so tightly?" "Don't worry, if the train does crash, at least you'll be safe while me and Hakaru take heavy hits from the impact." "We'll keep you safe no matter what! Even if it means the situation gets really awkward!" Hakaru desperately held on to him like a starfish does to a rock as we hugged him the whole time we were on the train.

Jin'ichi rolled his eyes upon seeing our limitless dedication to keep children safe: "Oh brother. Now we have two of 'em. I don't blame you." He shrugged and looked out the window as the two of us hung onto Takeyoshi for our dear life.

We got off the train and into Shibuya, Takeyoshi was feeling much better now, but I still felt like hugging Takeyoshi till the end of time. A child this precious shouldn't have to suffer by trains. I was hugging him even longer than his mother had ever done, but Hakaru and Jin'ichi looked at me like I was doing something wrong.

"Um… what are you doing? We're in public you know, we left the train station five minutes ago." "I'm keeping this poor baby safe from corruption Hakaru! Just look at him, he's so miserable! If we don't protect him like the little bundle of joy he is, he'll be forever stained with the wicked scent of corruption!" "Corruption?" Hakaru scratched his head as I hung on for my dear life and slowly walked towards our destination with Jin'ichi looking at me awkwardly...

"We're in a city y'know. Do you want people to get the wrong idea?" Takeyoshi then told me, with a calm awkward voice that was perfectly healed from his wounds: "Yeah, do you want people to think you're my mother? I appreciate the hugs, but I honestly feel a little uncomfortable hugging for this long..." Oops! An uncomfortable child isn't a happy child, I let go of him, he looks at me with signs of embarrassment...

"Oh! I'm so sorry my child! Please forgive me!" "Now you're acting like a child, please stop." He says calmly and perfectly okay about where he is. I took a few more deep breaths before speaking to the child again: "Alright… I'm calm, but why are you so scared of trains anyway?" Jin'ichi and Hakaru were also thinking of that question, but Hakaru made sure to comfort him while asking.

"Yeah, come to think of it, we never actually knew what made you panic by the mere thought of a train." "What's the matter Takeyoshi? Remember that I'm right here for you dude." Hakaru patted Takeyoshi on the back as the child finally began to show and tell...

"Oh, you guys should've seen it! It was horrifying! First, the train started going faster and faster, I thought it was a race at first until I saw people get worried for some reason. We saw what happened to the conductor before the whole thing crashed, but he looked like he just didn't get enough sleep and was doing this on purpose! Then the whole thing went: Wham! Kaboom! Smash! And everyone fell over! A ton of people got really hurt that day, me and my mom managed to survive long enough to know that that guy's blank stare made him act like an animal. He was panicking for some reason unknown while we were taken to the hospital. It cost me my eye, but to be frank, I'm not complaining. I think it makes me more like a pirate looking for the loot!"

"Hold on… you were on THAT train!? The one on the news just a couple weeks ago!?" Hakaru sounded completely surprised. "I always thought Monigami plucked your eye out, then again he would've gotten in trouble much sooner if he did that..." Jin'ichi thought, but all I had to say was... "B-B-Blank stare…?"

I was going to comfort Takeyoshi for the incident, but then I remembered an incident of my own. The way he described that train conductor was a perfect match to what the police told me about my sister. I still remember all the details to this day, the way her expression slowly turned from one that is stressed and revengeful, into one of fear and self-destruction. One memory led to another, and then… I let it all out…!

I held my hands to my head as I screamed at the top of my lungs in complete fear as we approached some alleyway. The boys took me there and all tried cheering me up, but the pain of my mental state was too powerful to be contained! Hakaru was a little panicked as well looking left and right for suspicion, Jin'ichi rubbed my head calmly, and Takeyoshi even tried hugging me like what I did to him a few moments ago, nothing seemed to cure my eternal suffering as my impure memories got softer and softer…?

All of a sudden, I started to calm down on my own. The pain somehow slipped away from me, and somehow nobody noticed that I was freaking out. How can this be? This kind of achievement shouldn't be possible unless I accidentally used too many of my quiet charms. The boys felt relief as they knew what had happened to me to make the pain stop. I was out of the loop for some reason, because I couldn't just recover so quickly. And yet, how did I recover this fast? The last time I remembered those memories made me panic for 5 minutes at least. This must be the work of someone who's also a psychic!

I look into the alleyway and find this strange man with a purple hoodie and wrinkled skin. He looks my age but his eyes gave off a strange feeling I never felt before. It was neither pure nor corrupt, it felt welcoming like I've always been, but it felt so wrong. The longer I looked at him the longer I stood there unable to move. His presence was so mysterious that I wasn't able to sense anything from him. The boys don't seem to mind him at all, in fact, according to their friendly expressions, they're friends of this strange man. I had no idea who he was, but the least I could do was go along with whatever he wants, so that I can get back at Monigami for peeing in the ocean.

"You brought a woman?" Oh my god! His voice sounded so off! It felt like a sinister birth child of pure and corrupt, it would've scared the hell out of me if I wasn't so calm! How is Hakaru and his friends not scared by this!?

"Okay okay, I know it sounds weird but this young lady has a grudge against Monigami too." Hakaru was embarrassed of actually going through to bring me here. "Yeah! Monigami peed in the sea to get her attention, and now she wants revenge!" Takeyoshi just said that to remind me what I'm here for, the strange man looked at me like I was destined for something, but what?

"Huh. His abusive cycle never stops at humans huh? And who might you be…?" "Hello. I am Akiyo Chi. Pleasure to meet you… um..." My name slipped out as I found myself telling him stuff that even I couldn't stop. Jin'ichi and Hakaru cleared things up for me after I couldn't guess his name:

"That's HEX. I've had my doubts at first, but he's actually pretty great at explaining what's going on." "Yeah, he's going to be the one to help us defeat Monigami." Hakaru cleared up, I was still rather unsure if defeating him was an option, then HEX said: "Perhaps she doesn't understand that she has the power to help purify this corrupt world." Well, when you put it that way, I couldn't wait to begin whatever they're planning! So I got a bit excited despite me unable to act, and I wanted him to be purified more than anything!

"Purification!? Why did you say so! How do we do that?" HEX then slammed his fist into one of the empty walls in a small fit of rage. I couldn't tell if that was a pure smash or a smash where he purposely hits a wall. But either way, his hand started to bleed as he voice was breaking a bit while trying to tell me that everything was normal about him: "You can't just purify everything in an instant, thinking that will just make you more desperate and thus lead to corruption. The only true way to purify one's soul won't require any of your trinkets. That skill only comes from within. To purify mankind, you must first purify your heart." Purify my heart? I don't understand, I'm already pure, or at least I thought I was.

"I don't quite follow your logic…" "Don't worry, I didn't get any of it too at first, but once you awaken for the first time the rest speaks for itself." "Awaken? You mean to say I haven't unlocked my true power yet?" What is Hakaru talking about? Is he implying that there's an even greater power than my special charms?

"Don't worry about it, all you have to do I get really mad and the power will be yours!" Even when the child says it, it still didn't make a lick of sense. What is this 'Awakening' thing I must do? I don't understand why an 'Awakening' was necessary to help purify Monigami.

"I-I don't understand any of this… How can I awaken? Why must one feel rage to awaken? Is it even possible to purify if I do awaken!?" I was already beginning to stress out, but an ancient barrier is keeping my emotions from spiraling any deeper. Jin'ichi doesn't help either as he doesn't have a care in the world: "Take a chill pill already lady, it'll come to you like a brick to the head."

"But I still don't understand how any of this has anything to do with purification!" "Once you purify yourself, you'll understand. Ready Phantom Thieves?" HEX said as he looked at the boys as they shouted "Yeah!" without any explanation as to what's even going on!

"W-Wait, Phantom Thieves!? N-No no, I didn't sign up for this! What's happening!?" A mystical force made the alleyway disappear, and the boys don't seem to mind it!? What is even going on, what kind of men are they!? What am I supposed to do if my regular purification won't be enough to stop Monigami!? Although, HEX was a bit helpful on providing information I'll use to my advantage later, and that made me a little confident in myself. Maybe he's not that bad of a guy...

But still, that doesn't mean everything was explained to me almost instantly. The only things I understood was the fact that my regular purification wasn't going to be enough. Am I too low of a level to even try it, or maybe these three can teach me how to awaken. If I understood correctly, these three must've been the Phantom Thieves I've heard about, and even though they treat HEX like a close relative, I am still trying to figure out a way I can benefit these thieves.

I was always curious as to why the Phantom Thieves exist. They say they steal stuff, but all they do is steal corruption from others. I had no idea how they did it, but maybe the trio I see before me can teach me how to be just like them. Looking back as we walked away from the goner alleyway, I thought about Suguru Kamoshida, their very first target. I felt a huge sense of corruption from Kamoshida when I first talked to him, but when I visited him in jail after I heard the news, he was absolutely pure! He had real tears, and he hated doing all those corrupt things in the first place, that was all the proof I needed to not feel anything corrupt from his body.

This was nothing short of a miracle, because I heard a student almost died from suicide because of his influence, and that made me wish that my sister's heart was changed before she had a mental shutdown. Unfortunately I think the mental shutdown would've happened anyway, it was destiny. Now that I know that the Phantom Thieves are real, I must accompany them and see if I can help.

I was a little curious myself to see the methods the Phantom Thieves use. As we walked to Monigami's house, probably to comfort him head on, I wanted to know more about the team I was going to work with. If they were masters of purification, knowing their secrets could make me the ultimate purifier! I asked Hakaru because he looks the most reliable:

"Hakaru, do you think you can tell me how you three managed to change Kamoshida's heart?" "Oh, I'd hate to admit this, but we aren't the real Phantom Thieves." "What!? I'm sorry, I was just wondering how they change someone's heart…" I let my voice slip a little, but I calmed down again shortly after so Hakaru can tell me more about them…

"There are 4 Phantom Thieves as of now: Joker, Skull, Panther and Mona." "Two boys, one girl and one weird looking cat!" Takeyoshi brought up that statement as Hakaru kept explaining: "You see, these guys may sound weird, but they're actually pretty cool once you figure out tha-"

"Harry. Please don't spoil the surprise for her." "Oops, sorry." What do they mean surprise? Have they already awakened to a new power before I did? "Guys! We're here!" Takeyoshi says as we looked at the nice looking house wedged between two huge buildings.

"Peroski residence. Home of a bastard of a child." I actually agree with you Jin'ichi, I won't say it aloud, good people don't swear. "Alright. Now that we're here, we can purify this child's corrupt soul!" Before I could set foot onto the residence, Hakaru stopped me...

"Wha- Hey wait for me! I'm getting the app ready!" An app? What app is he talking about, where's my awakening, I don't understand any of this! My patience was running thin as I had very little explanation to what's going on this entire time...

Oh, I get it, they probably don't realize the potential of my charms, they think a change of heart is impossible without me, they think I can't change someone's heart…! Well too bad for them! I express my frustrations and confusion as I stomp my feet in anger...

"An app? What is it with you boys and your stupid implications!? You guys don't think I'm ready to awaken yet don't you?" "No that's not the problem! You gotta wait for Hakaru to-" "No child! I will not stand for this any longer! This bully of yours needs to get what he deserves and I'll see to it myself that he becomes pure!"

"Akiyo, that's not how we're supposed to do things! Just let me boot the ap-" "Silence you coward! I can assure you I am doing this for the sake of purity! You guys were having trouble with him before were you? And now you're just playing on your phones!? If you will not do anything about this, I'll do it myself!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, aren't you afraid of becoming his next babysitter? I wouldn't want a nice lady like you to go crazy like my mom..." "I… I don't care as long as the child gets every single bit of bad karma!" I was just about fed up with these boys as I began to approach the front door.

They don't think I can do it, they just think I'll mess up and die a horrible death right? Well as far as I'm concerned, their services are no longer required! I won't stand for any of their idiotic plans, I'll become the ultimate purifier myself, even if it means I'll have to get my hands stained with the blood of the corrupt!

I prepare to knock on that brown door as I feel like something's off. All of a sudden, I can feel reality fade away as it reforms into something completely unexplainable. The sky looked very different, a very distorted shade of red, and instead of a singular wooden door, I looked at what was now in front of me, and I was about to knock on a rich man's white door! I panicked and leaped back in fear as I looked at the mansion in total fear of what it is.

"What is going on!? I was at Monigami's house a second ago, why am I in front of a mansion!?" I began to hyperventilate as the corrupt feeling I got from this place was even worse than every other corrupt person in the world combined!

Takeyoshi then signaled me to hide behind a bush with a dollar sign on it. I was so confused as to why I was suddenly in this strange world. Takeyoshi managed to calm me down a little with a hug and a good pat on the back. But I was still a bit stressed because of the lack of context and explanation…

"W-where am I!? What are you doing here!? Has anyone seen Hakaru and Jin'ichi!?" "Relax lady, this is Monigami's mansion!" "Mansion!? I thought it was a house!" "No no, this is Monigami's house, just in a different dimension that's all."

"What!? How the heck am I in a different dimension!?" "That's what we've been trying to tell you! Hakaru used the app to teleport us to this world where Monigami is filthy rich! In this world, his mind speaks for itself. Here, he thinks of us like donkeys and Hakaru is a doll to him!"

"That still doesn't explain why I was dragged here…" "We had no choice, you wanted to fight Monigami directly, but that's not how this pure stuff works here!" Suddenly I see Hakaru and Jin'ichi come out of nowhere and...

"That's right! It takes rebellion against all odds!" "Confidence in your brutal strength..." "And imagination to see how you adapt to the Metaverse!" then the trio shouts in unison: "That's who the Phantom Thieves really are!"

I slapped myself to see if I fell asleep on the train, but nothing worked, I'm still awake to see these 3 in a completely different way. Hakaru looked like a green superhero complete with a cape, Jin'ichi's hat was replaced with spiky hair and his shades were a gremlin styled mask and his clothes look even more ragged and punky than before, and Takeyoshi has a sword!? The child, who's scared of trains, has a real goddamn sword!? This led me into shock as I couldn't move anything, not even my voice. I felt like mentally shutting down myself as the boys looked at me in confusion.

"Uh oh, did we overdo it?" "Don't worry Harry, I'd give her about two seconds…" "Oh… it's the sword, isn't it? Don't worry, my imagination is the one turning it into a sword." "Yeah, this is the Cognitive World I guess. This mansion is how Monigami sees his house, and the sword is how Takeyoshi sees his sti-" "What the absolute hell!?" I interrupted Hakaru due to the mass confusion in my head, and my outrage as I was breathing with an intense anger within me. I've never been so uptight since forever, it's making me look around in a frenzy trying to make any hint of sense of this bizarre world!

"You guys just show up wanting me to help you get revenge on Monigami, then you guys say I'm not strong enough to purify him on my own, and now you 2 look like buffoons in cosplay and this child is carrying a deadly weapon!? And what's worse, if this is how Monigami sees his own house, he must be the most corrupt person in the history of mankind!!" "I think Kamoshida has that title…" Says the punk who shrugged for some reason! Whatever this Cognitive World is, it's driving me insane! The mansion, the clothing, the child holding a sword, I don't believe any of this!

"Is this some sort of illusion planted to make me corrupt...? I know what corrupt means, I've experienced how it feels, but why is this entire building so corrupt!? What kind of nonsense is this anyway…? Why is this even happening to me…? Is this my punishment for being corrupt behind the people's back…? What kind of sick evil mind does this child have, if he owns an entire mansion…? I can't take this pressure…" I felt like my life was a lie. My anger swiftly turned into distress, and I held my hands on my head and crouched down as I failed to understand the meaning of this alternative world…

Hakaru looked at me with a worried face and told me: "Calm down Akiyo. I can assure you that this is the only way we'll be able to get through to Monigami. But first you need to know what's going on here." "Can she handle it though? Hero, she doesn't seem to be the type to believe something this crazy." The kid insisted that I could not handle the truth, and he was right. I wanted to go back to my sanctuary and forget about the whole thing, but how can I go back to the way I once was if I've already been spoiled by these three. There was no turning back now as I spoke in a defeated tone of voice...

"No, it's okay. I think I'd rather listen to you, then to jump to a conclusion…" "Really?" Don't pretend to be surprised about this decision Hakaru, you knew that the truth would hurt me but you brought me here anyway...

"Yes… the last time I jumped to a conclusion, I got raped…" "Oh goddamn…" Says Jin'ichi who felt shocked to know about that experience. "Was it Kamoshida?" "No Hakaru... it was some people my sister brought over. When I tried to be welcoming, they corrupted me using their magical sticks of corruption." "What's a-" "Don't ask kid." Jin'ichi stopped Takeyoshi from thinking about it. For a moment I had completely forgotten there was a child there, but I sure couldn't stop myself from explaining now that they know a bit about me...

"My sister, Machi Chi, invited those people in so that I could understand the scale of pure and corrupt. They used me like a toy, and now all I can feel from others is either purity or corruption." "Your own sister did this!?" Hakaru couldn't believe his ears as he was surprised to hear my own sister was partly responsible for my corruption.

"Hey… she's the lead actress from that movie my mother likes!" " 'Dawn of the Un-living Alive'? That movie felt pretty rushed…" Takeyoshi and Jin'ichi thought of her like a movie star, but I don't think she was that special to the cinemas, at least not anymore... Hakaru was still concerned about her either way...

"But why did your sister do this to you? How come we can't just change her heart?" "I don't know… she was pretty angry with me about going on and on about peace and all things pure. And after talking to a corrupt detective, she had a mental shutdown…" "What?" Jin'ichi said as he too was feeling a bit sorry for me.

"That's right Jin'ichi, I started the charm business so that no one would end up as corrupt as her. But just by seeing this is enough to convince me that it isn't working… No matter what I do, I'll never truly know what purity does to the world. I've been around you guys for long enough that the pure light you once had has expired… I guess I really am the corrupt person she claimed I was…" Hakaru and his friends were still trying their best to comfort me with worried and comforting expressions.

"Oh my… I'm sorry, I didn't know. It's just that we kinda needed another member on our team to help get the key at the bottom of the swimming pool… but… Jin'ichi assumed you would be happy to help, and I just followed along… I'm sorry about your loss. And I know this world doesn't make any sense, and it still doesn't for us, but we know enough to push forward and become the thieves we've been wanting to become…" Hakaru was grieved upon hearing some terrible news, and he expressed it the best he could...

"You know why I do it? I do it for all the ones who had their lives lost unfairly by those who you may call 'corrupt'. I wear this mask because if I don't let loose and go wild, there won't be anyone left to lose. This parallel world is Monigami's thoughts of the real world, and I'm not letting a kid this insane run rampant when so many people are suffering because of him!" Jin'ichi's motive seems very just and it cheered me up a little...

"I'm just really, really, mad at him, so I trained myself to become a stronger kid so that I can help my friends get even with that jerk." Takeyoshi was of course being determined and ready for anything with a small angry flame, a child-like flame that was very inspiring indeed.

"And I don the mask of Hero because I hate being a coward who doesn't do anything right. All I wanted was a chance to help make the world a better place to live, and the only way we can do that is by letting our rebellious spirit fly. From what I understand, to rebel is to become a better person, to become a better person, one must overcome the problems they have never dealt with before in the past."

"There's always something holding you back, for me, it was my mother. For Harry, it was that feeling of uselessness. Once we got past those obstacles, our true power was revealed." "You also have to get really mad at the Palace owner to make it work, but that's beside the point!" Taleyoshi said as Hakaru approached me and slowly began to smile for me.

"Akiyo, we won't let Monigami come to your house and be 'taken care of' by the woman as innocent as a mermaid… if you truly believe that we know what to do, then we have to join forces." "Work together, and defeat the bad guys!" "And maybe put those charms to good use, as well as my tinkering and Hero's strength."

"Because if we don't, my life will be in danger because of him. If he gets his way, I'll be arrested for no reason, and it'll be no different from what Jin'ichi's mom has been through." "From here on out, it's personal. Are you in?" Jin'ichi held his hand out to me, I felt a little hesitant at first, dare I take this keep of fate and change my life forever? It took a bit to build up my resolve but I eventually grabbed it knowing that everything they said felt genuine.

"Well… I guess I could give it a try. Monigami did pee in the beautiful ocean, it's only natural if I give him what he deserves. And this time, I won't be so quick to the point…" Takeyoshi cheered as he knew that was the right choice, and for once in my life I was absolute this was the right choice too. "Yay!! Akiyo joins the party for real!"

"Heh. You got nerves of steel Mrs. Chi. And to think that you had that look of an enraged serial killer back at the house." "Oh wow… Did my face really look that uptight?" "Yeah, Jin'ichi could pretty much tell who's corrupt by looking at their faces." Hakaru pointed that out as Jin'ichi made a fist with his right hand, the fist didn't last wrong as it turned back into a regular hand and then loosened up…

"You see a facial expression as twisted as Kamoshida's too much, you pretty much develop a sharp eye for anyone who's a bitch. Well what do you know, I guess we both have a sense of purity in our brains…"

"Yes. I can feel it…! Your motives are very, very pure! The light has returned as the purity engulfs my heart in a warm flame! You mean good to stand against Monigami and his mansion, and for that I shall respect you men once more. But still, how the heck does this place even work? If this is Monigami's innermost desires, how would the Phantom Thieves stop them from hurting others?" I questioned as Hakaru just remembered that he forgot to talk about this place...

"Oops. I guess we should probably explain what happens here, or at least as much as we know…" Hakaru scratched his head as Takeyoshi jumped in and said: "Start with the superpowers! Start with the superpowers!"

"Okay, okay Takeyoshi I'll start there. So you see, our powers come from both our rebellious spirit and from within. Once you awaken, you can use your very own Persona who has abilities that can help purify your adversaries called Shadows, they're corrupt. In this world, after awakening for the first time, we'll go by special code-names like Joker, Skull and Panther. For example, in this world, I'm Hero and he's Gremlin. This is the Cognitive World, a world inside of people's minds, with their emotions portrayed by their replicas also called Shadows. The most corrupt of these Shadows are ones with Palaces, that Palace is how they see the world around them, and the Palace Owner is in charge of it. There are also things that they like that are projected in their own shape and image, those are called Cognitions. The only way to purify them is to find their distorted desires, in other words, a treasure, steal it, and that'll change their heart for good and remove the corruption from their shadow. You understand?"

"I do! I can see why the Phantom Thieves are so mysterious!" Oh my, I never thought I would get what they were saying, but Hakaru managed to single-handedly explain everything he knew about the Metaverse to me. He did it with such flawless accuracy, even going as far as to use terms I'm familiar with like 'pure' and 'corrupt'. I eventually understood why two of the three boys look like buffoons in suits, and then I secretly wished that I would awaken like they would.

"Okay gal, the only thing keeping us from progressing further is finding the three keys for the door on the stairs. We already found one in the swimming pool, but it's way too out of reach for any of us to swim down to grab it, that's where you come in." Jin'ichi, or rather Gremlin, explained. "Right, stay close to me alright? You three will be my protectors once we enter, who knows what could await us inside." "Okay, this feels like an escort mission…" Hakaru, or Hero, says awkwardly. "Yeah, only this time Hero, she won't get into trouble, I'll make sure of it…"

Gremlin cracks his knuckles as he flashes a devilish smirk. I had no idea how he wasn't corrupt because of it, but still the Phantom Thieves sound like a grand idea to take part of. Now if only I could feel the power of awakening itself, that way I'll experience for myself the true meaning of changing someone's heart.

When we entered the mansion, it looked very delicate to the human eye, is what I would be saying if it wasn't so corrupt. Everywhere I looked there was a feeling of dread swimming through my veins. But these three men felt like the light I'd find in a dark cavern. They were the only things keeping me sane and I wanted their presence more than anything else right now.

The door above the stairs had three locks on it, they're specially shaped so that Hero and Gremlin's powers won't work. So we had to go to the giant swimming pool Gremlin talked about to get the first key at the bottom of it. Fortunately I knew how to swim to the deepest depths because of my experience with water. It appears they picked the right gal for the job…

"So… we just gather the keys to get to the door at the top of the stairs, find Monigami's desire manifested as an object, steal it, and then he'll be purified?" "Yeah! You're starting to get it!" Hero knew the plan for a long time, letting him down right now would be nothing short of despairing...

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back. I have to go rescue an old friend of ours." "Huh? Gremlin?" Gremlin rushed to the wooden door on the other side and busted it open, I was a bit worried at first, but Hero helped reassure that he'll be okay.

"Don't worry about him, he can hold his own against those Shadows. But for now we have some work to do!" "First, we need the key at the bottom of the pool." "Exactly Takeyoshi. Unfortunately, due to us swimming in the pool last time, the kid put some piranhas to keep intruders out." I looked at the pool and saw tons of fish with huge amounts of teeth, but besides that, I was not informed that the Thieves were in his pool the last time they were here...

"You swam in his pool without permission?!" I spoke with a big concern. "I know right? The perfect revenge plan!" Takeyoshi sounded pretty overconfident when he said that. He was bullied for quite some time, so revenge must be what this whole thing was about for the child.

"Oh my. To fight the corrupt, you would use its arsenal against it? That sounds pretty dangerous…" "Exactly. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we couldn't refuse, but now we're kinda feeling the sting of our actions." "I can see that Hero, and since you two can't swim that deep, it's up to me to get the key right?"

"Yeah. I believe in you Akiyo!" "And if anyone tries to hurt you, I'll swing my mighty sword at my enemies!" "Aw… Takeyoshi seems very protective is he?" "He learned from the best, and thanks to us he's learning to defend himself." "Yep! Now let's get that key already, I don't know how much longer we have until the Shadows show up!" I nod to Takeyoshi as I prepared to dive, my clothes were built around the water so nobody would have to see me take them off.

Hero and Takeyoshi keep an eye out as I feel the warm embrace of water. To my surprise, this was the only thing I could find that was not corrupt about this mansion. It felt absolutely perfect, even more so than the water back in the real world, my habit of loving water sure has come a long way. Ever since I was a child I adored all the wonders of the sea, the fish and everything involving water. There was just something about how peaceful everything looks that made me smile when I saw it for the first time. Whenever I felt that water between my toes, I felt a sensation that was heartwarming and gentle. And even after I was briefly corrupted, I would turn to the water to wash away any stench of corruption inside of me.

I embraced the water that was before me, and I let myself sink underwater as my whole body felt the wetness engulf my skin. To make the descent more fun, I was in my medicating pose which made me sink quicker. I knew where the key was, and yet I felt myself sink lower and lower into the deep blue pool. The piranhas were no trouble to me, because they stopped and stared at me thinking I was a beautiful sea angel born from the heavens.

Finally, I reached the bottom as I felt the key press against my rump. It had a bizarre shape, but if it was for a lock to a grand hallway, it must be special. I picked up the key and I let myself go as I floated back up to the surface. I rose back up at the same speed I went down to the bottom.

The feeling of reaching the surface was absolutely beautiful, it always felt like the water releases me of its grip as I reemerged as a purified woman. The two of them watched in awe as I shook my hair and revealed the key to the two of them. Takeyoshi cheered as Hero pulled me back up. I felt a rush touching a human pure of heart, and combined with the pure water I've just entered, I felt a sensation that was pure enough to make me forget about the corruption of this mansion.

"That was incredible Akiyo. Thank you for your help." "Y-You're welcome... wow… you're so pure. The sensation I'm getting just won't stop. I never felt this pure in my life…" Takeyoshi looked at us as if we were dating, but this wasn't love, this was heaven. A peaceful heaven made with water and my desire of all things with that beautiful bright light.

"Whoa! Are you two going to kiss!?" "U-Um… I-I don't think I'm your type! She's only doing this because she thinks I'm pu-" I couldn't take it anymore. The purity I'm feeling is too much to handle, I can't control myself…! I hug Hero as tightly as I can while my head leans up against his pure chest. It was so satisfying, so overwhelming, so peaceful, I couldn't let go of him.

This felt way more different from what Takeyoshi went through back at the train station, it felt like pure bliss now that the waters have tamed me and Hero pulled me out. Hero was blushing with embarrassment the whole time while Takeyoshi wanted us to be together, perhaps my love for purity has finally reached its peak…

"U-Uh… Takeyoshi, a little help here?" "No way! You two look like a married couple! That looks so cute!" "O-Okay Akiyo, we have a mission to do, we wouldn't want any Shadows to corrupt you…! Hello!?"

I don't care what he says, this feeling of purity just won't stop. It's driving me up the wall with love, I couldn't hold back anymore. I never wanted to let go, it just feels so precious...! Just then, the wooden door near the pool swung open by a kick from Gremlin. He drank a serving of energy drink with a smirk as he crushed the can against his head once it was done. That entrance was enough to make me flustered, his purity was overlapping with Hero's purity making me even more cheerful than ever!

"Sorry I'm late, I had to take care of some increased security measures. But either way look who I've found..." A different Hakaru that looks like an old doll approached us from behind Gremlin as he smiled in our presence and waved his flippy doll-like arms. Takeyoshi was somehow even happier to see the doll, and Hero was too. But I noticed he was half corrupt and half pure, but I was too far into my hopeful state to notice the corrupt side…

"Thanks again for freeing me Gremlin. Young Takeyoshi, nice to see you again!" "Doll-Hakaru! I missed you so much!" Takeyoshi hugged the doll like it was his father, how sweet...

"Nice to see you again, dolled version of myself, I'm so glad I'm okay!" "I wouldn't be counting your chickens if I were you. Monigami knows you're here for revenge, and now that I'm freed, he's going to be even more ticked off! You probably shouldn't have saved me, I'm just a nobody that Monigami toys with." "Don't worry about a thing Doll-Hakaru, we'll protect you from that bad-mouth bully!" Takeyoshi kept hugging Doll-Hakaru regardless for his concern. The doll looked at me with his confused button eyes as he noticed me hugging the real Hakaru...

"Um… who's this?" "Oh that? That's Akiyo, she's pretty much a woman who enjoys helping others through her magic charms and purification methods. The only problem is, she's acting a bit too pure for me to handle…" "Well, it's nice to meet you Mrs. Akiyo." "It is a pleasure to meet you too. I hope your purity never expires!" I say with my utmost respect for the doll, I'm surprised it's even sentient and rebellious...

"Damn… she's in a mood…" Gremlin says winking at Hero which made him blush even more. "You think!? She hugged me like some stranger going nuts over a perfectly normal woman!" "Yeah, but Akiyo is a girl and Hakaru is a boy! It's usually the boys who hug girls like her, but instead it's a girl hugging a boy!" "I don't see the difference." Gremlin shrugged as he clearly knows what's going on with me and Hero.

"Well this is no time for love stories, we have a job to do!" Doll-Hakaru keeps a straight face the entire time. "Yeah! And that's to collect the remaining 2 keys!" "You think I don't know about that, Takeyoshi…?" Hero says while still trying to get me off. "Oh but I do know, I just wish you guys would focus on what's really important, you need to get that treasure and make sure he doesn't break me." Doll-Hakaru sets his point across as I finally let go of Hero, but my trance was still in effect as I started hugging myself for that beautiful liquid to wash up inside of me. I giggled a bit to myself as the boys looked at me even more awkwardly.

"Wow… Y'know, I'm starting to think Akiyo likes water." Said Gremlin. "Yeah, I think we should at least use this time to be prepared while Akiyo finishes liking herself…" Hero scratches his head while still trying not to feel too aroused by my beautiful display. Takeyoshi then says, without pause: "O-Oh! That reminds me, I have taught myself a new trick while you guys were busy explaining things to Akiyo! Take a look!"

Takeyoshi turns the sword into a nice wooden stick using his mind, and he throws it into the pool, clearly where all the piranhas could eat it, but before they could, he held his hands out in front of him, and he expressed a struggling expression as he focused hard enough to make his body shake like boiling water. He closed his good eye and bubbles started to form from the pool as they got bigger and bigger…! He then spoke in a tone that made the stick suddenly transform!

**"Oh magic stick, turn into… a whale!"**

And that's what it did, it knocked all the piranhas away as it surprised and impressed all of us. I was even more surprised at the whale that spawned from a sticky sword, does this mean he turns his stick into aquatic animals and weaponry? Takeyoshi cleared that up after the whale turned back into a sword…

"Oh my god, how did you do that!?" Hero's mind was blown. "Simple Hero: This place is built on the human mind thing, remember? So I taught myself to focus my imagination hard enough on my stick to turn it into pretty much anything I want!"

"Wow. Looks like you've definitely got this whole cognitive perspective thing down to a science! Good thinking kid." Gremlin pats Takeyoshi on the back and smirks. "That's because whatever you bring into the Cognitive World, it becomes real if you believe it is. Just the mere announcement of a stick becoming something will make your enemies truly believe that it's really something else. When Takeyoshi brought his stick in and treated it like a sword, his imagination broke the boundaries of Cognitive-Science and turned it into an actual sword." Doll Hakaru said, who would've thought a child's imagination would be our most powerful tool?

"That's right! Now that my imagination is the key to our victory, I guess I finally have a superpower all my own!" "That's incredible! Can you turn the stick into the keys we've been looking for?" Hero said hopefully, but Takeyoshi was still working on the kinks of his power as he shook his head...

"Um… I don't think so. I can only turn it into stuff I can recognize on my own, but reference pictures might help me out a little." "Oh what a desirable power! This will definitely stop Monigami in his tracks for sure!" I hug the child as he giggled in triumph, I've got a feeling this 'change of heart' business will be easier than ever with him around. "I appreciate the new skills you've earned Takeyoshi, but we better go!" "Okay doll me! Follow my lead everyone!" Hero announces as we move away from the pool and into the main center-room.

All of this talk about Cognitive-Science and awakening and imagination is truly a sight to behold. I may not have a will of my own yet, but they certainly have the potential to make things right. If this is what the reality beyond our own reality feels like, then I'm positive that when I awaken, I'll be ready to change the hearts of the corrupt! All of these past conflicts, they were not just so that I would become unjust in this cruel world, they were to prepare me to help the secondary Phantom Thieves with their prime mission. I was chosen for a reason, I wasn't about to mess this up on behalf of all things pure! So now, I accompany the heroes as we prepare to enter the next room…

We all traveled to the door down the hall, because if we unlocked the current lock now, it'll just get locked up tighter. We opened the wooden door to the right of the entrance only to come across a pretty bizarre sight. There are these butlers with masks called Shadows holding things like dishes, food, bottled beverages, and cleaning supplies. They were surrounding a very long wooden table with all kinds of food nearly everywhere except on the far side, where there's a golden plate with a fork, spoon and sippy cup next to it.

We didn't know whether to feel hungry or surprised at the Shadows guarding it. I was mostly focused on the bottled beverage because it brings back bad memories indeed. I didn't panic, I just inhaled and exhaled calmly as I watched the boys get ready…

"Oh shit!" Hero shouted when he saw the Shadows right when he opened the door. "I know! Look at all of this food!" Takeyoshi smiles, he completely missed the point. "This isn't good, if Monigami hears that I escaped, he'll make it so that I'll never leave!" Doll-Hakaru was scared knowing that he was in trouble.

"Is that so…? Let's silence them then!" Gremlin did a smile that looked corrupt, but it was more like a darker pure than actual corrupted essence. "I-I couldn't agree more!" I said just barely recovering from my fear, but Doll-Hakaru grabbed my arm as I felt the fabric across my body. He didn't want to take any chances and he looked at me with a matter of urgency. "Follow me Akiyo, in your current state you can't fight back. Your life is too precious to risk it in a time like this!"

Normally I would say no to that response, mostly because I would be happy to help, but seeing as this truly feels like it could get dangerous, and the last time I tried that I felt a bit corrupt, I decided to duck behind a potted plant with Doll-Hakaru as the boys used their mystical powers right in front of me…!

**"Persona!" "Smash their heads Gizmo!" "Oh magic stick, turn into… a baby elephant!"**

The three unleashed their powers at the same time! I didn't know who to focus on, so I focused on all three of them! The Shadows turned into various monsters related to greed, alcohol and anything that looked remotely rich. I could not describe the creatures correctly other than the fact they looked so corrupt! But the crew was ready for them, as if they had an experience like this before. Hero started off strong with his bulky spirit named Hercules, who looks like the ancient warriors I read about at the library. I felt a surge of love as he unleashed his mighty lightning clap, and knocked away everyone surrounding him! Then Hero glowed bright green as Hercules did the same but Hercules started to change…

The armor he once wore was blown off, the cape caught on green fire, his fists were engulfed with pure heroic energy, his eyes glowed a bright lime green as Hero flew towards the shadows blocking their way! They both began to swing a mighty punch at the rich monsters as he called out his special power…

**"Super Power!"**

Both he, and his Persona, yelled as a singular punch blew away all the Shadows he was fighting. Doll-Hakaru and I were so proud of him as we cheered for Hero while he began to snack on an energy bar he had. I see… so these powers must be fueled by energy and this rebellious spirit they have. I'd better write that down in case I forge- Oh wait look at Gremlin!

He was doing a fantastic job on his own smashing the monsters' heads together and unleashing his full fury on the Shadows! Gizmo also helped as he chomped down on several of the Shadows Gremlin was fighting. Then he took a look at the biggest one, who looked like a corrupt angel, and gave him the thumbs down with a psychopathic smile on his face. He began to glow a darker shade of green as Gizmo started to change…

He went from the brown and white fur into a green scaled pattern like Gremlin was, his eyes changed from a cute baby to a savage red eyed freak in a matter of seconds, and is that rabies!? Just then, Gremlin's gloves started twitching and wiggling like they really want to grab something from the Shadows…

**"Ehehehheh! Super Assemble!"**

He laughed as both he and the wild Gizmo took every unformed Shadows' butler and maid suit and somehow pieced together a smart bomb out of it. Gizmo smirked and giggled with Gremlin as he hit the bomb with the crowbar and it exploded in the angel's face thereby killing it. I would've thought that was offensive on God's part, but the angel itself was a living contradiction to His wi- Is that Takeyoshi riding on an elephant!?

He was riding on top of the baby as he commanded the elephant to crash into the other Shadows by leading it with one of the energy bars he had. The Shadows eventually knocked the elephant over and it turned back into a stick. I worried about Takeyoshi's safety until he waved the stick around again to turn it into something better…

**"Oh magic stick, I want the whale again!"**

He threw the stick way up high above all the remaining Shadows and it turned into the whale from before as it squished everything that was under it. I had no idea how the whale didn't hit the table, but then it turned back into the sword as Takeyoshi stabbed one of the Shadows that was still moving and killed it. I would've never encouraged such violence before, but they were pure, and the Shadows were corrupt, if that isn't a sign of holy justice, I don't know what is!

"Whoa! You guys did even better than last time!" Doll-Hakaru cheered as we exited our hiding spot. "Aw gee, I wouldn't praise me too much..." Hero rubbed his back and blushed with a cute little smile. "Dang! Did that battle get my blood pumping or what? Nice job everybody, 'specially you Takeyoshi" He was still smirking while being encouraging to the kid, that was amazing on his part. Taleyoshi and Hero were getting pretty excited for themselves as they expressed satisfaction.

"Did you see that Hero? I took down a whole army of Shadows all by myself!!" "I know! You were awesome Takeyoshi!" "I'm so proud of you little-dude! You are going to be an excellent Phantom Thief someday!" "But ain't I already a Phantom Thief Gremlin? Yahoo!"

"Well, not exactly a true Phantom Thief yet but you'll get there! I believe in you pal!" Hero high-fives Takeyoshi as the child begins to smile brighter than before. Even after their battle, Hero and Gremlin are still supportive until the very end. I myself was impressed at how fluid they moved in combat, the way their choreography went when dealing with the Shadows, and the fact that they aren't corrupted at all for doing that.

"Oh my! You guys were fantastic! You managed to do unspeakable acts of murder, and yet I couldn't feel any corruption from any of you this whole time! If that's what these Phantom Thieves are capable of, I'll gladly be of service to your needs until we complete this mission!" "That's funny, I thought I was the fanboy of the bunch." The child said a bit awkwardly.

"Oh! I didn't mean to make you think like that little child. I'm just saying, now that I know what you boys are capable of, I'll be happy to support where I can." "Much obliged!" Hero said confidently while giving off a salute that made me blush.

"I'm glad you guys are enjoying yourselves, but once Monigami sees a severe lack of Shadows, he'll come looking for us!" "Oh don't worry your fluffy little head Doll-Harry, we'll be in and out as soon as we find the next key." Gremlin carelessly said to the doll.

"Oh man, there's only one chair…? I really wanted to eat so badly with my friends..." Said Takeyoshi as he stared at the chair made of clear solid gold. This makes me think, who would ever want a table for one? But I'm in no position to complain, since I eat alone as well. "Huh? You want to eat after all we've been through?" I asked, to which the child said: "Yes!"

Gremlin's stomach growled as Hero finished his energy bar: "Come to think of it, I'm a bit famished after that last battle, I might as well go for some grub."

"Um… you heard the doll, we'd better run before Shadow Monigami finds us!" "Aw come on Akiyo, remember that we may never get this opportunity again. Think of this as revenge for making the kid spill his milk." Gremlin carelessly approached the buffet as he waved at Hero and pointed at the food. "Wow, this buffet has steak? I haven't eaten food like this since my birthday!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" The two teens didn't listen to the doll as they grabbed some steak and started to eat it while standing up. Takeyoshi looked at his meat funny and poked at it a little, then he smelled it, he quickly turned away from the steak and pushed it away. I had a bad feeling about what was in that stuff, so I was hesitant to ask him about it...

"W-Why aren't you eating your steak?" "I don't know, it looks kinda fishy to me… it even smells fishy, like some of that beer my dad gets into." "B-Beer!? But that's…"

I took a sniff myself, and to my surprise, all the food here was somehow fused with alcohol! This was not only my worst enemy, but it reminded me of that drunken charm I tried to sell! Was I really corrupt when I made those charms!? I tried to stop the two from eating any more of the alcoholic steak, but I'm already too late! Both Hero and Gremlin have gone drunk. I felt their purity slipping away as they began to lose their appetites…

They both started swinging and struggling here and there as they tried to stay on their feet. Hero coughed and tried to eat more, but he dropped his steak on the floor as he started chuckling and hiccuping due to his drunken sight. Gremlin angrily kept slamming the table with his fist, as if he was blaming it for putting a steak that would do this to him. The ones who weren't drunk watched the two boys stumble about and lose focus on the world around them.

"Oh no… are you two alright…?" "Whoo… my head is spinning. Weee!" "Oh no… Hakaru has become corrupt!!"

"You guys! I knew that steak smelled funny!" I can't believe a kid knew the dangers of alcohol before the grown-up teens figured it out. Now because of this food, Hero is dizzy and Gremlin has never looked more angry and drunk...

"That's the problem with you two, you never listen…" Doll-Hakaru said with a frown that's ashamed of himself and Gremlin. "Oh yeah!? *hic* What makes you think you *hic* know about this stuff!?" "You see Jin'ichi, as a mere figment of Monigami's imagination, I also know what he generally likes. Monigami likes alcohol for some reason, so he puts it all the food so he can always have a 'good time'…"

"Well… I know about a good time… *hic* 3:30 PM. That's an excellent time to go places!" "Come on Harry! *hic* You seriously think I'll be out at 3:30!? I'm more of a *hic* 4:00 person..." We watched the two mindlessly ramble on until I couldn't stand to see them act like the drunken fools those other men were...

"Mrs. Akiyo, how long are they going to be like this…?" "Not much longer!" I say as I grabbed one of the containers in my backpack and I revealed a special charm I've designed to cure my drunken friends. It was shaped like a sheep with a scent that slowly put the two drunks to sleep…

"Pardon me… I woke up at 5:00 AM to take a walk and a bus to the beach…" Hero said as he fell headfirst into the floor. "H-Hey! Don't you dare leave without me…" Gremlin rambled before slowly sinking onto the spiffy red carpet floor. "They're asleep…" Doll-Hakaru stayed awake for some reason. Perhaps the doll wasn't as connected to Hakaru as I thought.

"How did you do that?" "You see child, I only make this 'Charm of Counting Sheep' when I'm exhausted, and it is usually the last charm I make before bed. This creates a sleeping aura that soothes the soul to sleep and it shortens the process of a drunken state. They'll wake up in time, but I'm afraid until then, we're sitting ducks."

"I was hoping you didn't say that about myself..." Doll-Hakaru knew this situation well, with nobody else who has awakened, and with Takeyoshi's lack of experience, there's almost nothing we can do without Hero and Gremlin. "Hakaru… Jin'ichi… don't worry Akiyo and Doll Hakaru. I promise to protect you two with my life!" "H-Huh? Takeyoshi?!" Oh my, the once frightened child has suddenly toughened up! He pointed his sword to the sky and made a face of determination and smarts.

"Takeyoshi, what Monigami is capable of may be too much on your own. If I couldn't stand up to him, you'll be in even worse shape than I ever was…" Doll-Hakaru negatively said with a despairing look in his eyes. Takeyoshi gritted his teeth and shouted something that was even more courageous than ever!

"That's what I thought also you dummy! Every day since second grade started made me suffer! I've been pushed around by this guy for so long it's giving me a headache! These two guys helped me become heroic in my own special way and it's because of them that I learned how to stand up for myself! I may not have a rebellious spirit, but I can still fight! I even have a dang sword you two! And now that our best members are out of commission, I'll protect you from Monigami no matter what! Just let me help for once! I can do this!"

I've never seen a child this determined before. A normal child would just stay with the big boys, but this was no ordinary child. I smiled knowing Takeyoshi would eventually do something better than he ever did before. "You have proven yourself to be quite the formidable hero… I can see that fire in your eyes, that's the sign of someone who loves others enough to do what's right for their crew. Your intentions are purer than pure, if that is what you seek, then so be it. Until Hero and Gremlin recovers, I'll support you until the very end!"

"Takeyoshi… you really are something... but what if they get spotted by Monigami?" "I wouldn't worry about that… these 'Charms of Invincibility' normally just makes the pain they feel delayed by a day, mostly made from pride, but if I'm right about this…"

I placed one in each of their hands, the Cognitive World made the aura surrounding the charm spring to life in a strange matter. It's aura dances around their bodies as it creates a circular barrier around the two. I poked the bubble and it only wiggled it with no drawbacks.

"Hey… they aren't waking up! How'd you do that?" Takeyoshi asked. "These Shadow creatures think your stick is magic right? The same applies to my charms, they truly believe they are magic, so using what I've learned, I made the Charms work in a way I could never do in the real world. These barriers won't last forever though, we have 24 hours as soon as they're exposed until it wears off." "But that's like plenty of time!" Takeyoshi was amazed by such an astounding upgrade to my charms. I was honestly a bit amazed that something cognitive could become real if others believed it's real.

"Good thinking Akiyo. And even if anyone tries to mess with them, just make noise to attract the Shadows away from them. It's better to attack someone who's not in a vulnerable position, or else you'll be such a coward for thinking otherwise." "That's right Doll-Hakaru, now lead the way Takeyoshi." "Okay! Now let's go into the kitchen!" "Why the kitchen?" I asked, Takeyoshi shrugged: "I dunno, maybe they keep the key in there?" "Good call Takeyoshi. I remember where he puts that key due to me overhearing some of the prison guards. We've got no time to lose!"

It was just us 3 from then on: Me, Takeyoshi and Doll-Hakaru all teamed up to take a look at the kitchen, and let me tell you this now, any kitchen I've ever seen has nothing compared to the huge scale of the kitchen! It was as big as a supermarket, with every known piece of food that makes Monigami fat kept in the many fridges spread across the walls. There were ten dozen stoves, each with an oven, and only one sink to wash up in before instantly getting back to work.

Whatever business Monigami has got going on over here, he's got another thing coming… "Alright, where's the key Doll-Hakaru?" I asked calmly. "The head-chef has it in his belt, he doesn't let anyone have it except his boss. I don't see him anywhere, he usually wears a black suit as opposed to the white suits you see before you." "Well, isn't there a way he can find this black sheep?" "I wish I knew, but that's all I overheard, the head-chef doesn't get involved unless… Takeyoshi!"

Just then, we saw Takeyoshi right in front of the counter we were hiding behind as he downright shouts to all the Shadows while holding a small green baby dinosaur with one hand as a threat…

"Hey dummies! This baby T-Rex is gonna eat all of your food unless you tell me where's the head-chef!" He looked seriously ready for them, as if their distorted appearance doesn't scare him at all. "Is this child nuts? The head chef doesn't like intruders!" One of them said. "You're asking for a death sentence child, no one escapes the wrath of-"

Takeyoshi, interrupting the other chef, then turns the baby dinosaur into a black three-head dog named Cerberus! It looked more like a puppy, but I think he didn't want to scare himself. But that doesn't mean the 3 heads don't growl. The other chefs stopped what they were doing as they looked at Takeyoshi who gave them a cold stare with his one eye. I was personally that frightening myself, but his look felt more serious than any child I've ever seen…

"I'm not in the mood for any of your cow poop. Where's the darn head chef!?" Well at least the child doesn't curse properly, imagine what his parents would've thought of him then... "Oh! He's not kidding!" "Don't eat me!" The Shadows were shivering until they heard a strange voice with a French accent...

"Oi! Why ant ze food being made!?" We heard the voice come from a chef that looked bigger and nastier than the rest, he had an evil mask like the others but the chef clothes were black instead of white. I felt some serious corruption from this head-chef as Doll-Hakaru ducked behind me. I then saw the keys on the chef's black belt, so we secretly hatched a plan to sneak from behind him and grab the key. Takeyoshi turned the dog back into the sword as he pointed it at him like a tiny little mercenary.

"So, you must be ze one disturbing my hard work... Well I've got news for you, I'm ze leader of these fine chefs and nobody is gonna-" "Oh shut up." Huh? Takeyoshi doesn't look like he's having any ravioli! He spoke with a tone of hardness that I've never seen from a child at all! Need I remind you, this was the same kid who was scared of a train!

Takeyoshi turned his sword into the giant whale again as it presumably squished the chef. To our surprise, he lifted the whale, and then he sliced it like sushi! Takeyoshi grabbed the strangely unharmed stick as I went inside my inventory for a charm that could inflict pain!

"Oh, you think zat zis is a joke!? I have to put alcohol in pretty much everything because he loves zis stuff! You think it doesn't come cheap!?" "So that's why Hero and Gremlin were drunk…" Takeyoshi said still with that serious face of his. While Takeyoshi was distracting the head-chef, with all of my might, I focused my spiritual energy into the charm in my hand: "Charm of Surging Anger!!"

I unleashed the flame shaped charm as it engulfed the chef in flames. He screamed as he patted out the flames, but not without taking some serious damage first. It was then that I remembered that those flames were fueled by rage and whoever is engulfed in them will experience rage. He looked at us with a terrifying look on his already masked face. It truly felt corrupt coming from a Shadow…

"Oh… I zee where zis is going! You want all ze food to yourselves don't yah!? Not gonna happen, not unless I shove it down your sorry ass throats!!" Oh my! He was so angry at us, he forgot how to speak French!

He transformed into a black and red form of corrupted ooze as he revealed his true form to be some giant pile of slob that was a mixture of food and garbage. It was twice the size of everything else in the kitchen as it towered over us with an angry tone of voice: "You insolent swine! I'll soak you all in the liquid and then serve your disgusting bodies to the master!" Excuse me!? That statement really had me triggered because that was hypocritical in so many ways!

"Hey! I'm not disgusting, you're the one who's being disgusting! Just look at yourself, you're nothing but of a mountain of waste as you plan on conducting cannibalism on us! I shall not allow that to befall on us." "Yeah! What she said!" Takeyoshi and I stared at the revolting monster as it tried to poison us with his breath. We dodged the heavy hits as Doll-Hakaru barked orders from afar, he knew he wasn't good at fighting so he tried to lead us to victory with his own words!

"Akiyo, use that surging-anger charm again!" I pulled out the charm and it let loose a massive fire that engulfed the blob in a tower of intensive heat. "Takeyoshi, squish him with the whale!" The creature moaned as Takeyoshi threw his sword to the sky and focused hard enough to spawn the whale and land on the mountain of rotting mush.

Takeyoshi's whale actually managed to squish him, but that's not enough, so Takeyoshi turned the whale into a water hose without a problem. The water managed to wash away any leftover slob that was trying to escape. The rest of the Shadow chefs were so scared of us that they all ran away. Victory was ours.

"Takeyoshi, you did it!" "No… we did it, thank you Akiyo." "Yeah… I guess I am just as capable as a child…" Takeyoshi and I shook hands, we both knew that we were just as capable as the teens and that made us stronger within. Takeyoshi then grabs the second bizarrely shaped key from the place the monster died.

"Okay. We have the key, now let's get out of here." Said Doll-Hakaru cautiously. "Yeah! Before more of those sneaky Shadows show up!" Said Takeyoshi as we began to run out of the kitchen. But before we could, we heard a voice that sounded like Monigami, only much more distorted and furious.

"You dumb fuckers! You dare to interfere with my dinner!?" Takeyoshi was absolutely furious upon hearing Monigami's voice again and he yelled at the direction it was coming from: "That's right Moni-dummy! Because of your stinking dinner, my friends can't fight! Mark my words, I won't let you lay a single finger on my-"

One of the Shadows grabbed and threw Takeyoshi across the room and it left him in a weakened state as he struggled to get up. I looked at the child that looked like Monigami, I was honestly afraid to look, but he left me no choice but to look! That's when I felt the most corrupted… well, anything! The aura sprung to life as if his entire existence was corrupted, and the way he looked like a rich gangster with a old powdered wig didn't help at all. But I had nothing to fear, if the charms could manifest it's true power in the Cognitive World, I see no reason why I shouldn't use the one that has my purest emotions inside it…

"T-Take this! Charm of the Holy Grail!"

It shined a pure light that tried to influence Monigami's Shadow to give up his old ways, this was made from the peak of my purity. I only make this charm on occasions when someone needs to experience the same purity I always feel. But try as I might, the charm wouldn't correctly heal him, he hasn't changed at all! I tried using a couple of other pure charms in desperation, but it's no use, he's still overpowering my charms, HEX was right! None of my regular purifying tricks were working! This is terrible, how am I supposed to help if this child is that corrupt!? Doll-Hakaru wasn't doing too well either, he hid behind a stove hoping no one would see him.

"Hmm… I know you from somewhere, only I do not recall when I met you…" He tilted his head as he tried to identify me, but I went with my gut and spoke aloud: "You must be Monigami's true self. I-If that's the case, I sentence you to immediate purification!" "Oh… I remember now, you're that crazy lady who's obsessed with purification! I suppose you want revenge at me for peeing in the ocean, am I right?" A statement like that triggered me again, this was the forth time in one day where I lost my composure, isn't that a thought?

"It's more than that you disgusting little brat, you hurt my allies, you poison yourself with food that you can't handle, and your mind is twisted enough to think that you would rather just eat by yourself than with others!" "Can you blame me? My father used to get addicted to this stuff all the time. You hang with the wrong crowd enough times, and you become fucked up. It starts as something minor like saying bad words, the next thing you know, you'll be drunk on a dime as you grow addicted to that alcohol smell!"

"Well, it's because of that smell that got me raped! Do you know how much it pains me to remember that I was once corrupt!? The water is the source of all things pure, it contains the very energy we need to stay healthy!"

"What's the point of water if all it does is keep you 'hydrated'!? I think the ocean sucks balls because it's nothing but one ass big sea lasagna! Maybe it's because I don't share the same views on water like you do that caused me to go wee wee in the sea sea. I just don't see the value in water, sure I drink milk and juice occasionally, but it never compares to the fun I had with alcohol!"

"My dad's friends told me that it was the best stuff you could ever drink, and they weren't wrong! I loved every ounce of alcohol that was given to me by those men, and although I had a bit of trouble drinking the fucking thing first, I had a wonderful time thinking of that little struggle I had with it's taste! It was so fowl, so ruthless, so unforgiving, it slowly turned an innocent baby like me, into a monster! A monster who feeds on beer and wine! Sure me and my dad kept it a secret from our mother for a while, but all the fun had to end somewhere… She sniffed us out, and she forbidden any further use of alcohol, what a horrid woman she was back then!"

"But that's when the real fun begins! After that, my parents started to become obsessed with trying to get me a babysitter that'll distract me from the horrors of drinking. Eventually, they became as twisted as I am, getting me toys that I keep breaking, believing every little thing I say, and they always kept falling for the same act every single time. They started to believe that I was their one and only angel, and that anyone who has a messy room in my presence is the devil!"

I can't believe him, those sinister expressions, that corrupted voice, he is the most foul, most repulsive being on Earth! But if my current charms don't work on him, what can I do!? Takeyoshi was still struggling as he was even madder at Monigami than ever!

"You… monster… the next time I talk to your real self, I'll clobber you!" "Aw… is the little baby gonna cry? You are nothing but a little jackass who can only raise a fuss! And if you even try to kill me, my parents won't take it kindly!"

"I can't believe what I'm experiencing… You are the most corrupt person I've ever met! And you're just a kid! It's clear to me now that you are too good for regular purification! What you deserve is something far worse than some regular lucky charm…" I felt an incredible anger burning through my veins, a rebellious flame, just like they said. I was ready to let him have a piece of my mind, but then, I felt it! My own aura, this whole time, I never had felt it before because I was too focused on everyone else. By focusing on my own anger, I channeled an aura, and it was not what I had expected at all!

The process of my awakening had stopped, for I felt an inner-darkness that no one has ever felt before. This darkness led to one conclusion: I was corrupt. I stopped in my tracks halfway through my sentence as I was shaking in fear of myself. I was scared of me, because of what I had done in the past. I was played with, I forced those who were infused with darkness to suffer, I got some slob arrested, I lashed out against my team when I didn't know they had good intentions, and now I'm threatening a child who doesn't understand what's good in this world!

The problem was, I was so close to awakening, that it just stopped when I felt regret. But that power I almost felt, it was too aggressive, I couldn't awaken like this, that's not who I truly am! If I had awakened now I might've killed Monigami. I didn't want to stain my hand with his blood anymore, I didn't want to fight anyone anymore! I just wanted to make up for my sins against humanity, but then: "Oh no, not again!" the other Monigami shouted, paranoid of my attitude, what does he mean by 'not again'?

Just then, Monigami sends all the nearby Shadows on top of me which reminded me about one of the poses I took during my rape. The painful memory that corrupted me while simultaneously being around other corrupt beings, along with my own destructive aura, it hurts so much… I felt like I was going to cry, I was scared of what was about to happen to me and Takeyoshi, I was afraid to go on... But if I don't do this, then it'll hurt even more. If I don't do this, then there will be no one left to stop him along with anyone else who is just like him. If I don't do this, the entire world will be corrupted. At this rate, there was only one thing left to do, it was the only one thing I will do… **AWAKEN**.

But how? I couldn't just do this by myself, especially not with this dangerously enraging aura! I then remembered that my life was in peril, anything other than awakening was out of the question. The first thing I tried was promising myself to never use anything corrupt against the corrupt, so I prayed in my head as the bad memories went away: "Dear God, I have never felt so sorry in my life. I have done so many bad things to evil humans who have harmed others for their own sake. Please forgive me for my sins, I promise I'll never harm another human being if that's what it takes I'll quit using the corrupt charms that made me as corrupted as the child in front of me. I beg of You, please don't let people like him defy who You are… Amen."

I let loose a few tears as I hoped that He would understand my cause. I was about to cry harder before remembering that God was truly forgiving, if I did bad things for the sake of good, that wouldn't send me to heaven. All of a sudden, I felt a tingling sensation. It was unlike anything I've ever felt in my life. It wasn't aggressive at all, it was as peaceful as can be. My darkness was fading away into nothing as my oath was sealed in blood. It was right then and there that I knew I was ready to awaken...

I started by calming myself down, despite the circumstance I'm in, deep breaths and letting a couple more tears flow was the first step. I then tried my hardest to tune out the corrupted forces by focusing my mind on everything that was pure. Those things were Doll-Hakaru, Takeyoshi, Hero and Gremlin. They helped me become calm, they supported my actions while I helped theirs, and even if I were to deny them now, fate will always bring us together. I felt a warm feeling in my heart as my own purity kept getting stronger and stronger. This wasn't about revenge anymore, this whole time it was about purifying the souls of the corrupt.

Even if I must commit something atrocious like stealing the hearts from someone corrupt, there's no point in just laying down defenseless as a crab without its shell. Therefore, if children like him were corrupted by adults, there may be a chance that when he grows up, he'll become even more corrupt than ever. I have made my decision. I will rebel against this child's wishes and purify his corrupt soul. No more nonsense about anger and frustration, I have successfully calmed down, but my intentions of rebellion are as clear as a cloudless sky, and as pure as the angels from up above…

"What you really deserve... is a change of heart!"

**_(I am pleased to introduce myself. Thank you for calming me down...)_**

I can feel it. A rebellious spirit all my own is calling to me. My head hurts a little in the process of my awakening, but it was nothing compared to the pain of the past. But to overcome one's pain, one must believe in their own will and learn how to rebel. I did both of those things, the contract was signed, and the pure spirit inside me began to appear…

**_"I am thou, thou art I. Our mind is calm and collected, like the drifting rivers flowing through a beautiful grassy forest. No feelings of doubt exist within our heart, and the symphony of the ocean shall extinguish the flames of sin. To overcome corruption, and to prevent ruin, one must first gather their innocence. Purity is innocence, but that doesn't mean one should abandon that pledge. In order to regain our innocence, one must be willing to overcome the shackles in our soul. Break free from the chains that keep our subconscious held, and let our emotions speak for themselves…"_**

"Yes. I am ready."

**_"Well then, our wish for absolute purity will come true in time. But in order to make it possible, we shan't be using our gift to hurt those who may already be corrupt. Instead, we shall use our powers to save others. Purity does not bite, it allows itself to be close to corrupt beings so it can cleanse them with all their heart, instead of letting their emotions hinder them. Do not be afraid to fight if we must, but be cautious, our strength will not be as powerful as our friends, but we'll do everything in our power to help them bring out the best in one's spirit…"_**

A blue fish shaped mask appears on my face as a graceful wind knocks away the Shadows. I gently peel it off so it doesn't bleed as much, and a blue flame spawned from my pure heart. My dress became even more beautiful as it had a bright blue scale pattern like a graceful mermaid, my charms were now made of real gemstones of all sorts, and my hair moved in a pattern like the waves of a beautiful shore.

A beautiful mermaid with ruby-red hair awoken as her graceful presence alongside mine was extraordinary to those who have never seen my beauty this close before. I was someone who attracts all those who opposed me, but I always led them astray. This is who I am, I would never hurt anyone like Monigami, I just wanted him to see the light…

"Whoa…" "I never expected her to be so calm about her awakening." Takeyoshi and Doll-Hakaru watched as my cleansed heart spoke to Monigami...

"Monigami, your actions may be unforgivable, but I see the light within your heart. All I want to do now is to make you happy, without any need for violence. I shall accomplish this by stealing your corrupt desires, and purifying your soul." "Aw shit! Don't you look at me like I'm that redeemable! I can fucking cuss whenever I want you whore!" He seemed stressed, I still smiled regardless.

"What foul language. I don't care. I just want to see the best out of anyone who is corrupt." I saw two Shadows approaching me, they may be entirely corrupt, but that won't stop me from seeing small fragments of light within their hearts as they ranted: "Hey! Don't you look at my master like that!" "We shall make you pay!"

The two shadows formed into two different beings. One represents how much he hates the sea, and one represents how cruel he is to his babysitters. While the rest of the team was startled by their sudden appearance, I accepted their flaws of being corrupt and I walked towards Takeyoshi to heal him…

"Whoa… they look tough…" "Do not be alarmed. I shall help you in any way I can…"

I place my right hand on Takeyoshi's shoulder. It glows blue as Takeyoshi glows blue with it. He began to feel a lot better now that I was there to help him. He jumped back on his feet, and he felt as if nothing bad happened to him at all. I smiled at him with a smile that reminded him of his mother, a lone tear dropped from his good eye as I hugged him for comfort. I'm so glad that he helped me get over my fear of corruption. Now I know what to do when I sense corruption…

"Thank you 'Siren', you know, the girl who attracts men to their doom…?" "No. Thank you for helping me overcome my past. This is what purity truly feels like. No doubts, no negative emotions, not a single grudge, just pure, honest, acceptance. Ariel. I thank you too. Let us return the favor for their help together."

**_"I'm glad we are so accepting Akiyo. The decision is yours. Will you fight to protect, or will you protect who fights?"_**

"Both… We'll do everything in our power to help Monigami turn over a new leaf. Takeyoshi, are you ready?" "Oh heck yeah! Let's do it Siren!" "Alright. Let's help him Ariel."

I felt inner-peace within my soul as the Shadows came towards us. My Persona Ariel created a bubble wave to push back the Shadows a bit. Takeyoshi turned his stick into a whale once more and then it crushed the sea hater. The cruel one knocked down Takeyoshi, but I wasn't afraid. Before it could get another blow on the child, I created a bubble shield around him that popped and bounced the attack in the opposite direction.

"Huh? I'm safe! Thanks Siren!" "My pleasure." My own pure soul must be getting to Monigami as he gets even more enraged...

"Oh fuck! Stop smiling you damn bitch!" "We should've collected you while you were still up for grabs!" Said the cruel shadow.

"Nonsense. What I've been through doesn't matter to you. What happens to me later doesn't matter. All I want is to see your master smile and say 'thank you'." "What are you a psychopath!?" The cruel shadow questioned, Takeyoshi didn't seem to like what he said: "Hey! No one talks to Siren like that! Oh magic stick, turn into a refrigerator!"

A refrigerator appears and I engulf it in a bubble. It floats up as Takeyoshi and I distract the Shadow with all of our might. While I kept shooting more passive bubbles, Takeyoshi threw some cooking supplies at it. I then used one of the charms as I glowed a bright blue color.

Using the Charm of the Weight of one's Sins, created during a period of me feeling the weight of corruption, I made the fridge get heavy enough to go through the bubble to hit the Shadow on the head, thus knocking it out. Takeyoshi was automatically impressed while Doll-Hakaru began to worry about the number of Shadows that were popping up...

"Whoa! Super Charms!" "The security is getting stronger! We better recover the boys and get out of here!" "One moment Doll-Hakaru…" I said as I focused my power into a single area.

I created a bubble force field around Monigami and his crew thereby distracting them while we grabbed Hero and Gremlin and headed to the exit. We soon realized that I had the power to heal any sort of illness by holding someone's hand. I cured Hero and Gremlin as they were beginning to recover. Hero responded with surprise and a scream, while Gremlin woke and blushed a little.

"Wha!? W-What did I miss!? How long was I out!? Is that you Akiyo?" "Yes." "Dang, you seem calmer than usual." Gremlin said as he placed his fingers on his chin looking at my new dress. Takeyoshi pointed to me with a smile as if he wanted the two to see me like this: "Introducing the newest member of the Phantom Thieves: Siren!" I waved at them as I saw Hero blush a bit more while Gremlin gave me the thumbs up.

"The thing that was holding me back all this time was my fear of corruption, and the feeling I felt when I felt my own corruption. Now I desire something more, to see the best of everyone I meet. And although I can't do anything to stop myself from sensing corruption, I'll always have you guys to assist me when there's trouble. Thank you all for helping me stand up to corruption."

"I'm glad you decided to become a better person, but… does your outfit have to be sexy!?" Hero suddenly shouts, completely astounded by how pure my outfit looks, and how it nearly made him leak blood from his nose. Gremlin doesn't seem to care but Takeyoshi was all the more excited.

"Well I don't mind it if you guys don't, I think it makes her look more attractive. Y'know like a real siren, good name as always Takeyoshi." "Yeah! She could attract enemies to have their butts kicked, it's ingenuous!" The child does not understand that I have become a pacifist, so I must deliver the message clear. "No, I shall not fight as often as you do, but I will do anything to keep you all safe from the horrors of the Cognitive World." I said without regret being very accepting of my new powers. I noticed Doll-Hakaru as he felt proud and yet sad because of what's about to happen next...

"Thanks for everything… I guess it's time for you four to head back…" "Huh? Doll-Hakaru? Not again!" Takeyoshi has been through saying goodbye, I can tell because he is starting to frown again. I have been told a ruler's Cognition can't leave their Palace, but I can help.

"Are you worried you'll be caught…? Not to worry, my Charm of Invincibility shall be of service." "B-But, the charm must've already used its magi-" I place my finger on Doll-Hakaru's mouth, shushing him. I place the charm in the palm of his floppy hand, it glows bright with a light that never burns out. The other three quickly figured out what was going on as I made the charm even stronger. Since this is the Cognitive World, whatever charm I use will be more effective. And with my Persona's power, the gemstone went from a crystal blue into a beautiful shade of silver.

"Now as long as you hold the charm, you'll never be caught again." "Wow… thanks Akiyo." Doll-Hakaru smiled with newfound hope, that was the kind of expression and happiness I'd expect from people like him. Even if it was just a toy, I knew that he wouldn't give up on us even if he was made by Monigami's imagination.

"Heh. What a clever girl we bumped into, right Harry?" Gremlin elbowed Hero as the coward rubbed his head with an awkward smile: "Yeah… clever! Let's go with that…" he chuckles with embarrassment. Takeyoshi, with his face slowly lifting in spirits, hugged me now that he knows Doll-Hakaru shall be safe.

"Thank you so much Siren! You saved me and all of my friends on the same day! Even a new one…" "Thanks. No one has ever been nice to me since I first appeared in Monigami's cell. I just hoped I didn't get broken like the rest, but you four were the only ones who actually cared about me, I can't thank you enough."

"Don't worry doll me, he may treat you like a doll waiting to be broken…" "But we treat you like a doll who wants to play!" encouraged Takeyoshi. "You can count on us Doll-Harry, we'll keep coming back until we take this guy down!" "And purify his corrupt soul." We all gave him more hope than anything, despite being next to nothing in Monigami's mind, and he was thankful for what we have done to help him.

"Yeah. I hope you guys do that too, for the sake of all of my cellmates, who lost their lives and their purpose in a single day, we'd better get started soon." "I wish we could stay, but we might need more time to prepare, I can't wait to come back soon for you Doll-Hakaru!" "I'm looking forward to it, Takeyoshi."

And then we embraced him with open arms, it felt so warm hugging that fabric skin combined with the embrace of the pure skin of my friends. I shouldn't get used to it, for that'll make me delusional again, but now I know that our combined forces will indeed cause great things for the world. We waved goodbye to Doll-Hakaru as we exited the way we came in, emerging as new men in our own special way. Our clothing reverted to the way it was before we went inside, but I pretty much prefer the freedom I had with my Phantom Thief outfit. The boys and I went to that alleyway again, but this time I was more focused and ready to accept whatever HEX says…

"Congratulations on managing to recruit someone new Hakaru." "Aw shucks! I had some help you know!" "What's your status on the treasure?" HEX questioned. "We managed to get the second key to that unbreakable door. Whatever's inside there must be something very illegal." Jin'ichi reported.

"Excellent. You are slowly but surely becoming expert Phantom Thieves. Now what exactly was holding you back Akiyo…? Or should I refer to you as Siren?"

"Well. I simply choose to let go of my own self-corruption, and then I awoke to a new power when I realized that I can not only see the pure or corrupt from people, but I could also see the light in anyone who repressed their feelings."

"Also, Hakaru and Jin'ichi got drunk, and I defeated some Shadows with the help of my friends!" Takeyoshi shamelessly admits as Hakaru felt offended by such a recalling: "How was I supposed to know that everything had alcohol in it!?" "You guys were doing so good before, but I guess without you, Akiyo wouldn't have become Siren, so thanks for getting drunk!" Takeyoshi smiled despite the awkward situation the teens had gotten themselves into, I couldn't help but giggle a bit.

"Hey Jin'ichi… I'm never eating any cognitive food again…" "Agreed…" The two teens felt pretty ashamed of letting themselves get drunk, but regardless they felt alright with the circumstances they ended up with. Two keys in one day, that's quite the accomplishment.

"Do not threat over something as minor as a small setback, that's only part of your development." "Yeah I know that HEX, but still… Let's never speak of this again, my sister will kill me if she catches me drinking without her permission." We all nodded in natural agreement, we should've done a better job at stopping the teens from eating the alcohol-fused steak, and now we feel just as silly as they were.

"So, we have the two boys and I'm the girl, so now all we need is a cat right HEX?" I asked, HEX smiled in a rather amusing way. "That's right, then and only then will you have truly mastered the ways of the Phantom Thief." "Hey, I'm a boy too you know!" Takeyoshi stated while trying to get HEX's attention, but Hakaru was still thinking about what he thinks should be a part of the crew.

"Well we could just use one of the strays, but my dad has a no pet policy going on, he claims they're too expensive." "Don't worry about a thing Harry, I've got that part covered, let's just say this cat is going to make our lives much easier..."

"Say Mrs. Akiyo? Now that you're officially with us, what are you gonna do?" Takeyoshi asked. "I guess without any hint of corruption left inside me, I'll be happy to help you boys with the plan to purify Monigami. Now that I have learned to have faith in the darkest moments, I just want to see him smile."

"Alright. You 4 will have to go to work tomorrow, Monigami's Cognition might be changing as we speak now that there is an interference." "What kind of interference?" Jin'ichi wondered. Hakaru just shrugged it off a bit as Takeyoshi just displayed a face that says: "I completely forgot!"...

"Well… I'm sure it's nothing to worry about…" "Um guys…? I think my mom goes on a shopping spree tomorrow, so I might be a little late…" "O-Oh dear, what are we going to do without Takeyoshi?" I said a bit worried knowing that Takeyoshi was very helpful and brave the last time we were here. Fortunately, Jin'ichi was just the kind of guy who had the charm to cheer a child up.

"Don't worry Takeyoshi, we won't bother waiting for you. Real life may be your weakness, but me and Akiyo aren't entirely bound to society like you guys are. Straying from it now would surely cause trouble for us. You could probably use the day off anyway, this has been three days in a row since we first started, and the poor kid has seen me cry, been through some serious life-threatening situations, and was accidentally forced to be the only one who could fight until Akiyo awakened. He needs some of that family support in case the real world needs him. Besides, even if we took him with us tomorrow, I'm sure whatever I'm bringing to the table might be a little much for him to handle. You think you can go one day without us, for your mother's sake."

"Oh man. I'll make sure to get plenty of pictures of that room near the locked door." Hakaru said desperately as he didn't want him to cry, but the child didn't, he somehow understood what was about to happen and he spoke with a brave face despite his feelings against being left out. "Okay. But I promise you guys that I'll help my mom's shopping go by extra quick tomorrow! I want to see the thing Jin'ichi has planned, and I'm not ready to miss it!"

"That's what I'd like to hear from a kid like you." Jin'ichi gave Takeyoshi a pat on the back as I clapped for support. The child may be a little late tomorrow, but at least we know he has the strength to make things right. This child has survived Monigami for so long, it almost makes me cry seeing how much he's been through. He was also the one who helped me see my own purity, and a childlike face like his needs to be protected and also has to be helpful at all times!

And so, Hakaru walked Takeyoshi home while Jini'ichi took me home by train. I saw a bunch of corrupt people on the train, but I also began to see a small light fly out from each of those auras. I began to see their repressed feelings alongside their corrupted essence, I was no longer afraid of corruption, and this just confirmed it with Jin'ichi as he smiled at me…

"So… are you feeling any better about being around corrupt people?" "A little… I still sense their corruption, and yet I also see light where I couldn't have before…" "I'm just glad that you aren't scared of those people anymore, I'm sorry I wasn't there to witness your awakening, I'd bet it was pretty good."

"Oh that's okay, you can see what I can do tomorrow, I'll make sure of it. I was just thinking about the way you presented yourselves to me, how did you know I was the right choice?" Jin'ichi kept smiling as he started to explain why he wanted a girl like me...

"Me and my dad had a special job over by the beach one day, and I saw your booth as we passed by. I could tell from the look in your eyes that you needed some professional help. Although, judging from the way some of those criminals were influenced by your charms, I had a small doubt about you at first. Don't you get that feeling, that no matter how hard to try, people just don't take your side?"

"Yeah. I felt so helpless when my sister corrupted me and I couldn't do much against those who were corrupt unless I made the pay for their crimes. But now that I know better, I'll use my newfound knowledge of the Metaverse to help others, no matter who they are."

"Heh. Girl, you've got something that nobody one else has, a sense of awareness. If someone evil comes into your life, you bite the hand that grabs you. That may be good in situations like rape and all, but if they haven't done anything to you or your friends, you're good to relax. Just be thankful you've got someone like me to back you up when the going gets tough."

"Thank you, Jin'ichi, but why would you, a rebellious punk who doesn't have time for relationships, help me?" "Because my life was ruined by Kamoshida. Let me tell you this now, the second someone finds something wrong with you, or at least pins the blame on you, that's a sign that means your life will suck from then on. People will do anything to teach you your place, like abuse, humiliation, all the while making a face that makes you feel helpless. I know, I tried to get Kamoshida to like me, but he just had to ruin my life with a couple of bad examples."

I looked at Jin'ichi's face and he felt quite regretful and angry at the same time, something out of him that wasn't exactly rare for someone who has suffered. Even though his careless attitude was quite amusing, the truth behind his actions was much more impactful now than before...

"I knew my life was terrible, but there's only one thing I can do now, be aggressive and as tough as they think I am. The only ones I want to protect though are those who were just like me… Pathetic, worthless scum that are 'worse' than the ones who ruined them, I call them 'poor boys' for short. If you continued down that path of 'corrupt production', you would've become a 'poor girl' if you weren't careful…"

"But I have already sinned. Even after I have regained my light, will God be willing to accept me once more?" "I'm sure the big man in the sky knows about your mission, and I'm sure He knows that it's the best way to make a better world that is 100% sin free. As far as I can tell, your parents would also be proud of you."

"Thank you." "Welp, this is our stop. I'll let you walk the rest of the way back. I hope you'll be alright by yourself." "I am. Thank you… Oh! I almost forgot, what kind of cat will you get?" "It's a surprise." A surprise huh? I can't wait.

The train doors close as Jin'ichi waves goodbye. I returned to my booth, which had a closed sign on it. I used to think of this as a way to divide the good from the bad, but now I see it as a way to help whoever desires my help. Like a siren, I attract those who want me for my looks, but now I make sure to have them take a good look at me before using one of my pure charms. I locked my corrupt charms away in an airtight box never to be seen again. It was a way to throw away my sins, but I still kept them around if there ever comes a time I must use it to save my friends. That would never come across my mind...

Whenever I create an impure charm, I always feel guilty before I soak myself with water. I thought that water was the only way to cleanse my sins, but it turned out that all I really needed to do was see beyond my delusions and become someone new. My family is dead, but I'm still around to carry the tradition, maybe even better than my forefathers ever did. The next day, I managed to take the first day off I had in a long time. I went to Shibuya early to meet up with HEX in the alleyway. HEX smiled at me and then quickly looked away from me, I had clearly doubted his abilities before, but now I've somehow grown used to his rejection. Since Hakaru and Jin'ichi aren't here yet, I sat down next to HEX thinking he was lonely.

"HEX. I don't know who you are. But you helped give me a chance when you knew I was suffering inside. For that, I am in your debt. You may be a strange man, but I've never seen anyone like you who was neither pure nor corrupt, in fact, that's impossible. But what does it matter? It's only what I think of people like you, I'm sure whatever life you lived before you were abandoned was special indeed..."

He doesn't respond. He doesn't even crack a smile. A man like him must really be isolated from the real world to avoid noticing me like that. But it's alright, he seems like the kind of guy you would expect a mission or two from. He's silent, unknown, and unable to be cruel to others, he was everything my sister wasn't. She was a good girl at first, but as the pressures of being a movie star got to her, she just caved in to the corruption, that's all. I still can't forget about that time, but as long as I have faith in my strength, but not too much faith, I'll be an excellent thief of hearts. Finally, HEX replied to that comment I made…

"A true Phantom Thief may steal, but if there was one thing they can't get rid of, it's their friends. Friendship was the reason they were brought together, it wasn't just rage against someone they hate you know. The Treasures they steal may be valuable, but nothing compares to the truly valuable bonds they shared together. Anyone who does destroy something truly valuable is nothing but a shell of man dressed in fancy clothing. The real reason you awakened that day was because of your bonds with your own friends. You opened yourself to a new experience, and it granted you the power to rebel despite being unable to feel rage at that moment. For that, I feel like the Phantom Thieves will be very proud of you…"

He's right... It was because of my newfound friends that I gained the facade to become a better woman. I looked back on my actions, and I was horribly cruel to those who have gotten those corrupt charms. At least my business was successful enough to keep me going for a very long time. My job as a Phantom Thief has been absolute this whole time, and I just didn't accept it until it was clear my life was at risk. I felt confident that my life was taking a turn for the better. Now that I could see the light inside of everyone, and not just the purest of hearts, I felt like a fresh woman who will accept anything and anyone that comes her way!

"Okay, we're here!" "Damn it Jin'ichi… what kind of cat is in this box!?" "Oh don't worry your pretty little heads, he's well-trained."

I watch as Jin'ichi break open the huge wooden box with a crowbar. And inside it… was a humongous cat!! Even Hakaru was surprised upon the box opening! I think HEX was surprised as well, but he doesn't show it. I on the other hand…

"W-W-What the!?" "Say hello to our newest member: Liger!" Jin'ichi announced. Hakaru and I both shouted "Liger!?" at the same time before the liger turned away from us for some reason...

Well, okay… maybe I'll accept almost everyone…


	4. Chapter 1 (Naruki): Lazy, but Reliable!

*Sigh* What has my life become? I don't even bother to care anymore. What? You have no idea what happened to me? Well it won't matter anyway, so I'll explain it. They called me Naruki, I am a liger, half lion half tiger. Each individual cat is tough on its own, but me? I'm none of those things, despite my size I'm really just one big sack of meat. Sometimes I'd like to think that the liger's weren't supposed to exist. I've seen common house cats get better training than I did back then, but that was because I was beaten to near death because of those humans.

What's so good about humans anyway? All they do is boss other humans around, and tend to their pets. I remember being at an animal reserve in another country when I was a little kitten, some weirdos showed up in a car and then… nothing. I can't think straight about what happened after that, it was too sudden for me to remember at the time, but the next thing I knew, I was being tortured for trying to bite the hand that fed me!

Oh man, you wouldn't want to come near me during this period! I was screaming my head off trying to get out of here, but all of these rich people started making fun of me over and over again as they mindlessly laughed away their anger. They zapped me, they drew on me, they even went as far as to pee on me! One time they partied so hard that I ended up wearing goddamn lipstick for some reason. Everything they did was to take a chip off of my ego, but I held firm that someone would do something about this...

That opportunity never came. I was lost to the world as they kept doing the same shit over and over again to me. I eventually became calm enough to get out of the cage, and even eat a steak or two, but whenever I snapped at someone, it was back into that thing until I learned my place again. Man, life is cruel, especially if you are one of those 'rare animals'.

I sometimes have small nightmares about some sort of banging noise, I had no idea what it meant but it must have been something pretty terrible. Because whenever I wake up from one of those, I snap. And as you probably guessed, the boss doesn't take kindly to snapping. I saw all the things he did to solidify himself as pure garbage, there's no point describing a piece of shit if that shit rules over you and pounds you into mush. All that I can say is that he always wears a tuxedo, and he does the most despicable shit I've ever seen: he has people follow me around like hounds just to make sure I don't do anything stupid, he abuses these so-called people calling them things like "Slaves" and "Swine", and one time I saw him do unspeakable acts that caused several women to get fat and chubby.

I had no idea what else this insane man was planning, but he left me alone as long as I left him alone, except when it's a party. I hate parties, there's always at least one person who wants me to use as a horse for a motherfucking drunk horse ride. Whenever I come across a woman or two that he had in his power, they either watch me like a hawk, toy with me with food, or are just flat out destroyed. The ladies were covered with a strange scent that I didn't think was very pleasant, it's the same scent they sometimes give me during a party.

I personally had no idea what he was doing with women about his age, but frankly I didn't care anymore. If there was really anything I couldn't do about this wealthy man, I guess I'm screwed. I get so bored just being a showoff to a stupid man like him that I sometimes watch TV. Yes, I taught myself to watch TV and it's not that hard. I just press the red button, if a maid doesn't do it, then the jumbo sized TV lights up and it shows me all this junk about 'politics' and stuff.

I want to change the channel, but I'm starting to think that this, alongside some cartoon channel, is all I ever watch. But it's mainly politics as I bore myself to sleep every night, knowing that I'll never have any fun again. Who the fuck is this Shido guy anyway? All he does is blab blab blab on and on about becoming ruler of Japan or something. Now most folks like him see him as a symbol of inspiration and stuff, but you know what I think he is? A rich fucker who likes to play with dumb animals like me. I wouldn't be surprised if the world was going to take turns licking his boots once he's through with it...

The boss is actually a big fan of Shido, and even that is an understatement. I've seen the guy jerk off to a poster of him that points at his horny body. I think this guy's in love with him mostly because he's too attached to him. He would do anything to get that bald headed freak to notice him, and then one day he sent an invitation to that big cheese himself. His son replied to that response to his surprise. This son wanted to visit him because he could potentially influence the market for… ugh… this is exactly why I think humans aren't so fun.

So there I was, sleeping by this man's legs as he sipped his morning brew, wondering if there is anything else I could do besides eat and sleep, turns out there isn't. And then comes this Goro Akechi fella. He looks so smug, so selfishly ordinary, one might even go as far as to call him 'handsome', and underneath all that handsome beauty is the mind of a serial killer. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not judging people based on appearance, but this? This guy looks so ordinarily generic, a nobody to the face of the world, I would be no surprised if he snatched the detective prince's crown and called that blue haired balloon a freak.

Anyways, the boss was excited to no end. He even let him sit in his personal throne of a chair as he angrily berates his people to get him and Akechi something to eat. He also neglects my hunger, which is a regular thing for me, luckily there's always that one maid who cooks steak at night to satisfy my taste. The two men sat down with a distance between them, and then I saw the duality of mankind. One man was calm, composed, and definitely not planning to kill anybody. The other man was sweating his head off, losing his mind over a child, and he looks like someone who might be a serial killer under the right circumstances. I'll let you guess who's who…

"So… you must be one of the richest people in the world: Teruhama Utasha, was it? It's an honor to meet such a wealthy man." said the detective spoke unusually calm, like he knew about this guy long before he got the invite. "Y-Yes. It's an honor to meet you too..." The boss seems calm enough, but if I swear he just keeps his more hyperactive personality under wraps, even Goro here seems a little hesitant to actually buddy up with this swine…

"Are these your servants? They seem very nice, how do you treat them?" "Oh them? They're nothing! Even this useless cat has absolutely nothing to do with us!" Useless? Damn, that jab at my ego was unnecessary, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been jabbed already.

It's been 3 years since I was born, and I've adapted to this sorry excuse of a jungle. I can tell you this now, the boss is never usually this mentally unbalanced to his guests, he's actually kind of a nice guy IF you got to know him. He treats anyone lower than him like filth, including me, but if I'm going to die in this building, I might as well listen up on what they're talking about, despite this conversation being kind of boring…

"Let's talk about your boss, we have one year until the elections and I'm dying to know, how did he become so popular?" "That is none of your concern. But let me hear about you, how did you become one of the most powerful people in the wo-" Uh oh, I recognized that face. Whenever the boss twitches like that, he flips his lid. I see that out of him on a near daily basis, but when he does it to me, it's usually out of rage. But now, he snapped out of pure fanboy hype, if you thought he was crazy before, well…

"I thought you'd never ask! All my life I've been jealous of Shido's success, so I have done everything to get rich and become just like him! I steal from innocents, I started a mafia, I even resorted to crimes I've never wanted to do! In the end, it was all for HIM!! I ended up falling for your dad! His outfit was the cleanest I've seen and his face just stood out from all the rest… For the longest time I tried to fight these urges that were created when I saw him as a powerful man, my parents were also hooked on someone like them so their relationship wasn't very healthy… But I just couldn't help but wonder how far I'll go to become his husband!"

"Yes! Shido is just too damn perfect to leave behind! He is so powerful, one of the strongest men I've seen, and with me by his side, we'll rule Japan together!!" "Shut up!! My dad isn't someone you can just fall in love with!!" What the hell? Akechi suddenly snaps harder than a twig, he looks just as pissed as my boss on a bad day. Well ladies and gentlemen, it looks like the boss has competition here...

"You do realize that he is not interested in selfish, gay, worthless men like you right? He only respects those who are useful, such as a woman's body. Anything else is nothing sort of useless… I only came here to see what this so-called 'biggest fan' has to offer. It would appear that my expectations were correct."

And then Akechi stared creepily at the boss like it was nothing. The bodyguards should've reacted to this, but I think they knew he had it coming, so they stayed out of it. The boss was shivering and shaking, scared out of his mind, seeing the son of his 'husband' violently snap at him and the fact that he learns that Shido actually doesn't love him. That stare just gave me the creeps, if it was exaggerated a little more though, then it would look extra frightening…

"You are nothing but a piece of filth. Stealing from others, assaulting women, and ruining innocent people's lives… and for what? The affection of someone who is clearly just as capable as you? Perhaps even more so than you? Do you love him enough to die for him? Then allow me to grant that honor. Now… here's how it's going to play out…"

"I'm going to walk out of this mansion unharmed, and nobody will attack me as I plan to enter your subconscious and kill you from the inside. Then I'll report all of your slaves to the police, and bring the liger back to where it belongs, and then I'll see to it myself that your profits go somewhere more suitable. You said you would do anything to support him, so let me donate all of your profits to your 'husband'."

"It'll be your departing gift of love, although he'll obviously refuse it because I'll make sure it has your confession of love on it. And then, everything you ever owned, whether or not it was yours to begin with or not, will disappear without a trace. And the best part? Nobody will ever hear the name Teruhama Utasha ever again…"

"You ungrateful child…! What are you trying to accomplish by destroying everything I've worked for!?" The boss shouts trying to intimidate the psycho, it doesn't work, this only spooked him more…

"Nothing much. I'm just getting rid of the trash of society, you know, to make sure that Masayoshi Shido goes unopposed. Inviting me over just to talk about how much you 'love' him is clearly an opposition in my book. The only way to keep this world safe is if my father alone becomes the ruler of all of Japan. Letting someone else rule beside him will just have him backstab you without warning."

"As for me, I don't think 'no' will be the correct answer as long as I have this power. I am his perfect weapon, ever since I learned how to control the human mind, he has been slowly learning to love me as his son. You on the other hand will never be loved, not even by those you claim to be worthless… one more thing before I kill you…"

He walks up to the boss and whispers in his ear: "I'll let Shido know someone is waiting for him in hell…". I have no idea what that meant, but it almost feels like this rotten teen detective wants to backstab his own boss, er, dad! And if I go back to the reserve, I won't be able to be strong enough to fight back, especially since I've somehow grown used to the alcohol smell. Then the boss signals me to attack the kid, but why should I do that? He said it himself, I was worthless, and he couldn't be any more right…

"He's getting away you dumb cat! Why aren't you attacking!!" Oh, I don't know… the last couple times I attacked someone, you shocked the hell out of me. Also, if I were to attack him, he would either shoot me, which gives me fewer years to be a pain in the ass, or I would kill him, but end up taking the fall, leaving you with nothing to stop you from getting your sick hands on Shido. Sorry pal, you've brought this on yourself…

Akechi disappears as the boss gets mad, and I mean angrier than I've ever seen him before. He pulls out a gun, then points it at me, and then he blames me for letting 'his love' slip away. Do your worst, I've lived long enough by doing nothing, and I've got a say, this life while it lasted sucked. But at least I was well-fed, that's for certain. Just then, he started to get this massive headache that even I never knew about. He screamed as he dropped his gun on the floor as his eyes just went blank and some stuff was coming out of his mouth.

After that, he stood still as if he turned to stone. He wasn't doing anything but standing there subconsciously unable to move anything. The servants panicked as they wondered what to do if the police got involved, here's an idea, bury the boss, and continue that shooting scene he almost did to me. They noticed I was too delicate to be sent back to the wild, and one of them speculated that I might never survive in the wild after refusing to fight their own boss, which they got spot on.

That's when they decided to sell me off again, and let themselves take the fall, so that's what they did. Akechi was visiting from Tokyo, and we were somewhere on a private island far from it, so it was almost easy enough to take me to the black market somewhere else. I saw this guy take me off the internet, and dang did he look like a short construction worker. I swear if I take one more plane, I'm going to puke. Oh well, I'd bet wherever I'm going, it's going to be the same thing all over again…

I was shoved into a box, was there anything I wasn't shoved into, and then a few weeks later I was shipped to some junkyard. It was absolutely filthy, it had all kinds of trash I didn't know was there. I heard some guy that sounded like a punk give the delivery man money. I'd bet he's the kind of guy who shoves people's heads into toilets. This is just great, I'm stuck with another immature asshole and my living condition is even worse than before. I wish that gun was still pointed at me, because I don't want to live in trash that's right next to trash.

I didn't even get out of the box and I still felt like these guys were messing with me. All damn day long the box goes up and down, up and down, I think I'm going to be sick. I know these men are toying with me, but I didn't even step out of the box yet and I feel like I'm about to be assaulted from every goddamn angle. I've pretty much got myself used to it at this point, I'm sure whatever happens next is going to be ten times worse with these men picking on me…

My next clue that my new life will suck, I heard two voices, one sounded very rebellious, happy-go-lucky, and rude and the other sounded actually ordinary and cowardly? Ever get the feeling that I have been placed in the wrong hands? "Okay, we're here!" the punk voice said. "Damn it Jin'ichi… what kind of cat is in this thing!?" said the ordinary voice. Oh, quit pretending I'm special, I'm just a hybrid between cat and cat, nothing important.

"Oh don't worry your pretty little heads, he's well-trained." Well-trained he says. Don't make me laugh. He knows what kind of mess he's dragging me into. Well, whatever hell comes next for me, I'll just be laying here, so I don't get slugged.

Finally, I got put down and the box opened… Here comes trouble. I see four of them, four means death, is this the day I die? One looks like a punk with a turned around baseball cap, one looks like a complete coward with a regular-ass t-shirt, one looks shady as fuck, and then there's this calm lady in blue who loves the ocean as far as I can tell… these guys aren't rich, they're complete morons!

"W-W-What the!?" The lady said surprised, oh it's one of those kinds of people. They are actually surprised despite me being pathetic. Okay, you got me, the charade has been fun but I'm right here ready to be taken advantage of, so will you guys start fucking me already? Let's get this over with already so I can die. "Say hello to our newest member: Liger!" Oh great, first it was Naruki and now it's just Liger? You guys have serious naming issues...

"Liger!?" The coward and the lady shouted together, they're both actually surprised about me? What are they stupid? I'm seriously not one to be surprised about, why even bother bringing me here? Then the shady guy talks and damn he sounds like he's seen better days…

"Only Jin'ichi would bring something completely unexpected to the table." Oh sure, I'm unexpected now, but the next you know, they throw darts at a picture of you. "I-I didn't even know what was in there until now!" Okay seriously coward, quit pretending I'm not recognized.

"W-Where on Earth did you get a liger!?" A box, are you blind woman? Or if you want to dig deeper I came from a bastard's mansion or some animal reserve.

"A few weeks before I met Hakaru, I managed to save up enough to buy a real wild cat. I was originally planning on bringing it to school with me but the delivery people kinda sucked, so it took awhile. HEX said we needed a weird ass looking cat, and what better option is there than a liger?"

Weird ass looking? The insults are flying in already… it's only a matter of time before they try to fuck me in the ass and shove me into a kennel. But they just keep talking about some strange group known as the Phantom Thieves. They claim they're good at stealing hearts, can they steal mine though? That would be ready appreciated and it ends my boring days all the more quicker.

"W-Well one thing's for certain, we can't just bring a liger to a spoiled brat's house, it's stuff like this that manages to be mistaken for other things… For example, if you bring a sword to school, then the world thinks you're crazy. Bringing a liger in front of a house in public will be an extremely dangerous thing that can't be done without turning a few heads!" The coward says, and they're making me public now? I can see it now: 'Step right up and win a chance to piss in the liger's mouth!' I've been watching the boss too much, I can tell.

"I-I'm with Hakaru on this one Jin'ichi, bringing a cat this big somewhere with us will definitely start a riot. Who knows what'll happen if we were caught dead with a creature of this magnitude!" Scratch that, they're all going to kill me. I should've seen that coming.

"Damn. You two have a point, doing this will risk you both becoming 'poor boys', and since everyone knows that I'm already trash, I'll be dead."

Are you kidding me? You guys are worried you'll get in trouble for stuff like me? Well that didn't stop the boss from sending a bunch of rich men and wealthy women at me. If anything they didn't seem to mind me around once they tamed me. You're worried that a bunch of people will judge you for taking me for walkies? These guys aren't just morons, they're absolutely pathetic, I should've stayed at the mansion…

"Heh. Looks like it's time for my first gift to you…" Lemme guess wasted person, is it a dildo? I'm a hundred percent certain it's a dildo…

"Huh? What do you mean, first gift?" It's a dildo you coward, stop guessing.

"You seem to be in a jam, now that you have a wild animal by your side, there appears to be no way to get to your destination properly." Night club, I'm calling it right now. You don't scare me homeless-person.

"Yeah, are you suggesting you have a way to let us into the kid's palace without getting in front of the real thing?" Kid's palace? The punk has absolutely no clue how cute I'm not. I almost ate a child at their birthday once.

"Of course… heheheh. Press the navigate button without typing in anything, I'll give you instructions from there…" This guy just keeps getting sketchier, stop building up the drama already and let me have it!

"Um… but what if this thing needs directions?" Is the coward talking about the phone or me? "Don't worry about it… go right ahead…" says the weirdo, that's funny, nothing has happened to me for this entire conversation, I'm sure they're still building up to something…

I watched as one of those guys punched some shit into their stupid ass phones, maybe they're calling some stupid men to come and bite my tail off, but then I saw the whole place swirl and bend as the world turned from a simple alleyway into something way bigger than what I thought it was… I thought it was some sort of sex room, but low and behold, this place looks too good to be a regular old room...

The sky was in some sort of shade of red, filled with its strange black clouds that were blacker than any rain I've ever seen. It looks like we're near a regular common highway, but it was also a dark shade of red and blue for some reason. Hundreds of cars flew by as we looked at where we are now: it was a gas station, also crimson to no one's surprise. There's a big sign that says "gas" and everything one would expect at one, including an interior.

I then looked at the three humans, or my new bosses, and I saw them dressed up in silly costumes! The coward looked like a superhero, the punk looked like a goblin or something, and the girl looked like a mermaid. It's official, I'm at a masquerade and people are about to throw some punch at me…

"Whoa… what is this place?" A masquerade, I just said that coward! "I'm trying to figure out how this is symbolic, but I can't seem to draw any clues so far. If the mansion was made from Monigami's imagination, then this must be what every human thinks of the world…" So woman, does everyone think of you as children on Halloween? Give me the candy already.

"This is what the general public thinks about? I was hoping it would be something more related to politics and stuff." Ugh the punk is talking about the most boring subject in the world, I'd rather get fucked right now than to listen to pointless ranting.

"Hey guys, I think we're supposed to go inside…" The coward points to the gas station, what about it? Are there people inside there ready to knock me senseless?

"Yeah, come on boy…" I'm not bugging, this is just some excuse to get me somewhere where you'll throw me in a cage. But the punk manages to grab me anyway, if I bite him now he'll still throw me in jail, so what the hell. We enter and it looks to be a regular gas station, a little small but it works. The walls were, of course, red and black. Posters of some dreams people have been posted everywhere, especially near the bathrooms. It has the food on shelves, cold drinks in the refrigerators, and it even has a smoothie machine like the one I find at parties.

The music was blaring full volume of a catchy song I can't get out of my head as the punk snaps his fingers to it: "Oh snap, this song jams!" "It's one of my sister's favorite songs, why is it here?" Good question coward, maybe your sister likes dramatic pauses and ooey gooey love stuff. "The music that plays is based on what the public likes!" That sounded like a completely different woman, I guess she wants to fuck me too...

We looked at the cash register and saw this lovely gas station attendant, said everyone but me. She has a red uniform and cap, she even looks realistic, that's good, but she doesn't exactly act like a regular human being. You'll see why in a second or two…

"Welcome to Mementos Lane, where all your dreams can come true!" She just kept smiling this whole time, it was creeping me out a bit. Stranger danger people, stranger danger.

"Um… hello. My name is Hero, and this is Gremlin, Siren and…uh… Liger?" Oh great, they changed their names after they dressed up in this stupid cosplay.

"Excuse my pal Harry here, he often gets shy around women like you." Really? No one's ever been shy around women around me before. If anything, I'd bet the coward wants to fuck her in bed, but he doesn't seem that horny...

"You four come from the other side right? I'm only here because I'm a representation of what people think a gas station owner has. I'm smart, cute, and I have a loveable personality, that's what the world thinks of people like me." This lady has no life.

"Wow. No wonder I couldn't sense any purity or corruption from you." What the hell is this girl talking about? What the hell is pure and corrupt!?

"We're just looking for a way to Monigami Peroski's Palace." The coward asked the gas station attendant. "You mean the 'Mansion of Gluttony'? Well that's a coincidence, the bus for that destination should be arriving any moment now." How specific can this place get?

"A bus?" Yes, a bus full of drunk baseball players, you know what I mean you punk! "Yes. Here in Mementos Lane, every Shadow you see here can visit a Palace, unless they are bound to that said Palace. Although, just between you and me, Shadows with or without a Palace aren't supposed to interact with ones with a Palace, it changes how they think." All I hear is nonsense about Palaces, they're selling me to the Russian people, aren't they?

"Huh? They can't?" The sea lady was a bit worried about something, I couldn't care enough to figure out what that thing was. "There's our bus!" Shouted the coward, did you have to do it so close to this young cat's head?

They basically dragged me onto this crimson double-decker bus after taking a few brochures. Inside there are what they call 'Shadows', but they look human. We managed to squeeze in a seat somewhere in the front. We took a sniff or two and it smells just like an old sandwich, yuck. Even the driver of this bus looks like he doesn't want to be here, I can relate…

"*Sigh* All aboard. Next stop, Museum of Vanity and then the Mansion of Gluttony." Mansion huh? Well fuck. Oh look, the coward is worried again; "W-Wait, are we seriously going to take the highway? I don't think it's legal for a bus to take the highway…" "Relax sport, this bus can handle the speed, I expect you guys to buckle up…" That's overconfidence, you dirty driving sack of potatoes!

They buckled up anyway as the bus took off at incredible speeds. We were on the highway as the hundreds of cars flew past us and billboards of some powerful people. On the bus, the coward looks at the brochure of the highway itself. I can't read, and I don't care about trying, but they can. It saves me the trouble and it let's me sleep for a bit… but I could still hear them in my sleep…

"Okay, maybe this can give us some insight on this Mementos Lane thing we dragged ourselves into… 'Welcome to Mementos Lane, the place between the minds of humans and reality! Come see our wildest attractions from all kinds of sources! Spend some time at the Museum of Vanity, where fine arts are plagiarized for your entertainment! Go to the Bank of Gluttony if you want to deposit all of your hard worked money! Starting in December, go on the ride of a lifetime on our stellar pleasure cruise hosted by none other than the world's greatest, Masayoshi Shido! Coming soon: Lose yourself to the gambling in the Casino of Envy, currently under construction!'..."

Oh great, just hearing Shido's name in that context makes me want to puke. I really should've stayed at the mansion, because now I want to cover my ears! "Shido, he's that corrupt politician, he has a Palace?" the lady clearly didn't read that right, it's a ship not a Palace. Then the bus driver speaks again: "That's right, Shido is currently starting to rise in popularity these days. Everybody needs a pleasure cruise once a while, even I want his autograph signed on this bus." Is everyone on this bus fucking nuts? Why hasn't anyone noticed me yet!? The coward keeps reading the dang thing as I bore myself to sleep again.

" 'For those of you who have come from the other side, congratulations, you have the power to visit Palaces freely if you pay a certain fee. When traveling to another location, the real-world people will think that nothing is wrong with transporting from one place to another. When you leave Mementos Lane, in a different position than when you entered it, you'll appear to the world as if you had walked over there yourselves. In short, nobody would even know you were somewhere else. You can also enter them manually by entering the codewords needed for unlimited free access to the Palace, assuming you can approach the location in the real world.' "

None of that made any sense at all, but the masked trio seemed to understand what all that nonsense was about, so I'll just assume that they're saying this stuff to throw me off. What a bunch of killjoys, I was almost asleep until the coward brought up the brochure about some museum or some shit like that…

"Wow. I never guessed that Madarame had a palace." Said the coward to the punk. "Weren't there some rumors about him stealing other people's work?" Oh boy, stealing other people's work. The punk brings that up and the old wounds just keep opening up. Then I heard a child with his father that was talking in this overcrowded bus.

"Yeah! Isn't he amazing? I hear that he has a new exhibit in the 'pupil' department!" "Now remember son, these paintings appear every time he gets a new pupil. The latest one might stick around a long time until he gets a new one…" Oh boy, this Madarame guy sounds superb, how can't I be sarcastic about that? The blue lady talks like she's a bit mad at him. "These people treat their public enemies as friends? Why is that?"

"I dunno, as far as I'm concerned these people have no idea what's going on. We must be the only sane people on this bus. Excuse me sir, but we just want to know, why are they so interested in guys like Madarame and Shido?" The punk asks the driver, he's got nothing better to do than stare into the distance anyway.

"Well, that's simple. If a person likes somebody, their Shadow is all the more welcome to visit a Palace. But the rules say, the ruler of a Palace can't interact with them mostly due to what happens to a Shadow who influenced other Shadows. We basically had to establish that law because one Shadow named Kamoshida had a girlfriend, and once he got all twisted, she unintentionally gained a Palace all her own." Who the fuck is Kamoshida? Well, whoever he is, it's got the coward all fired up.

"That damn Kamoshida… where's the justice…" The punk comforts the coward by placing his hand upon his shoulder, is anyone even noticing the elephant in the room? "Don't worry about it Hero, as long as we're around, nobody's getting that cocky…" The lady also comforts him. "Ah indeed. Hero, we'll do everything in our power to change Monigami's heart." Monigami? Change of heart? I'm still not buying this crap! But the coward is rebuilding confidence, do these guys know something I don't…?

"...yeah. Yeah! We've got this!" The coward high-fived the punk as I just sat there with nobody looking at me. It's been an hour or two already and nobody is hurting me, this is just weird.

I personally didn't care what they were talking about, but so far I've received zero insults or spitballs. It's only fair if I paid some attention to them. We took a right turn exit, and the museum was somehow right in the middle of the night. It looked pretty showy, like those private museums the boss used to take me to. The only difference was those museums had all kinds of kinky shit I'd rather not talk about. The line was pretty endless, but dang whatever's in there must be very crazy... We arrived at that museum and everyone got off but us. Nobody else was there for him to pick up, so he drove back to the highway as I took another nap.

"None of these damn people are interested in people like Monigami anymore, why are you the only ones who care?" Said the bus driver to the crew who moved up a couple seats. "Because we need to teach him a lesson that's why." The punk replied without question. The driver seems a bit surprised judging from the tone of his voice.

"Whoa! The only people I know who do that kind of stunt are from the other side!" "I-I don't quite understand what's going on yet, can you explain?" The coward sounds a bit worried, and dumb. "Oh alright. Don't tell your mamma, or she'll kick your butt." said the driver as the coward covered his butt. "My butt is fine, thank you!" And then I get more nonsense I try not to understand, how amusing…

"Every so often, there come these look alike people that dress all fancy and shit like that. They pretty much run a service unlike anything we've ever seen. It can go two different ways. Sometimes they storm into people's Palaces to steal their treasure, just so they can destroy their Palace. Other times they come in and kill them for the heck of it." "B-But why don't Shadows visit certain other Shadows?" Asked the lady very cautiously, I'd bet this is like that romance manga the boss reads where nobody is allowed on other people's lawns or something. I couldn't be any more wrong…

"That basically depends on their mentality. If they want people to visit, they'll just go right in as long as the Palace Shadow doesn't interfere with their visit, or the other way around. That's what those guards are for you know. If it's a castle, the only Shadows that can interact with the Palace ruler are those that are in the ruler's own image, like a knight or a maiden. Shadows of a close friend or lover can also enter, but that just increases the risk of corruption."

"If they don't want anyone to visit, the gate is usually sealed up tight except for those rare instances of visitors approaching. It's not like it even matters if they visit or not, their Palace will stay as long as the ruler thinks that way. Although, nowadays this business has been running a bit slow ever since the introduction of that subway. Whoever ends up down there will have a better chance of getting a Palace up here, which, in turn, provides more publicity depending on their mentality."

"But that still doesn't mean most folks don't come back up after going down. It's almost like the people are more interested in what's down there than what's up here. Whatever is down there must be one hell of a hodgepodge to attract such a big audience. While this place repre- oh, here comes a spiral, hang on."

A red blinking light hung from the ceiling says "Hold on tight!" as the coward grips his seat in fear and the woman grabs me. It felt kinda smooth actually, she wasn't even angry at all when she grabbed me, it actually felt very pleasant. I purred a bit before we went into a 5 looped spiral, I felt like I was going to hurl. Nobody did hurl except for the coward who had a preinstalled barf bag somewhere in his seat. I'm glad I'm not him…

"Yuck!" "Sorry Siren…" Yeah, you'd better be sorry coward, I almost died. Wait… take me back, I don't want to be with these idiots! It's no use, the driver just keeps moving his mouth.

"Okay. So, while this place represents what will the people have left, down there actually represents how the world tries to imagine what would be best for them. It's pretty damn boring down there, so I wouldn't recommend going there unless you want your free will to die or something." "Oh my… these people would rather spend their days either blinded by the truth, or just going along with whatever?" Said the coward who was worried as the punk made a remark...

"You know what I think that subway needs? A reality check. A good tune up like that will do the trick." "I've never thought of mankind so deeply before… I just wanted to see them smile, not see them suffer by losing the will to live!" The lady wants smiles? This feels completely different from what I thought of her before, damn. The punk, still as careless as ever, comforted her.

"Relax! As soon as we change Monigami's heart, we'll be going after more hot shots and eventually, everyone will be fine." "I wouldn't miss it for the world pal." "If this is what it takes to expose the light in his heart, I'll do whatever I must." The coward, the woman and the punk all put their hand in the middle and raise them up high, just like a professional soccer team. The boss used to like soccer before he started to orgasm in front of a political poster. Why in the world do I keep reminding myself about that guy, let it, and me, die already!

"We're here, The Mansion of Gluttony." Hold on, I understood the mansion part, but with that gluttony part added in, it just makes my instincts get worse...

We got dropped off at this big stinking mansion and, wait… oh no, I see where this is going… I'm going to suffer in this mansion, just as I did back then, their smiles were just here to make me feel safe about this whole thing. Well it didn't work, because now I don't want anything involved with these jerks! Somebody please end my life already so that I won't have to sit through a repeat of my past! No one was even going to try it, so now I just lay down and maybe the owner of this fine establishment will treat me like a rug.

Just then I saw some weird looking human-sized doll thing looking like the coward as he wiggles his arms trying to get our attention. They're just trying to calm me down about this whole thing. Good news, it worked, bad news, I refused to do anything with these nonsensical, pathetic, little, teens. I had to think something negative, y'know, so I'll be ready for what horrors await me inside

But first, I listened to the doll and the trio talk about something wrong, not the best way to start my new-ish life.

"Hey look, it's Doll-Harry!" Who the fuck is 'Doll-Harry'? Is that some sort of toyline mascot? Just like that worldwide soccer tournament I had to watch. "Doll-Hakaru? What's wrong?" Now it's 'Doll-Hakaru'!? Make up your mind you coward!

"It's Monigami! The cognition of his Palace completely changed!" "What are you talking about?" Asks the lady. "A Cognition is based on what the ruler thinks of someone. In my case he thought I was this nice guy doll just ready to be broken! When you guys made me invincible, it changed his perspective of me completely! He now thinks I'm a doll that's too tough to be broken manually! Because of this charm, he is planning to come to your house sooner than you thought!" The doll says panicking, I don't see the problem. Is this a play or was I dragged into some fever dream?

"W-What!?" The coward sounded surprised. "I see now… like it or not, this doll is still part of Monigami's brain. By giving something that's based on the thought of a second chance, we unintentionally modified the way he thought of the real Hakaru." Says the lady speculating what the fuck is going on.

"Damn. How much time do we have?" "I'm afraid you asked Jin'ichi, from what I heard we have only a week to prepare!" the doll says panicking some more, all the while the coward soaks in that despair. "B-But, I have exams next week!" The punk then speaks while grinding his teeth, damn he looks mad: "Grrr… I can't just let Harry go down like this. We have to make sure that treasure is stolen on Sunday, when we're all free…!"

"That's right, and we brought help in the form of this giant feral cat." Whoa lady, the insults aren't exactly as strong as they were before. "Um… he looks rather lazy…" Lazy? That's not even close to true you doll, I'm just keeping my fur on thank you.

"Oh don't worry Doll-Harry, he may look lazy at first, but he just hasn't become his fresh wild self in a long time. He's just a bit too pampered that's all. I swear I'll help this cat become something more than just a lazy bum, even if it means I'll have to give him a reason to fight." Uh oh, now the punk is fired up. The coward seems a bit startled, somebody calm the punk down! "I'm starting to think you're more dangerous than the liger…" "It'll be fine Harry, this guy right here is ready to pounce!"

They say I'll be fine, but in actuality, they're selling me off as some house pet. Everything up until now was just to soften me up, and trust me when I say, I am going to suffer any moment now… welp, I guess I'll just make the most of it as the rodeo clowns and I enter the mansion.

The place is pretty damn big, even bigger than the last mansion. It's decked out with a staircase in my front, a huge swimming pool to my left, and a table with all kinds of food to the right. Too bad I can't eat any of it without permission or else they'll clobber me. Why do I even bother bringing it up…? We all went up the stairs and looked around for something to unlock the door in the middle, aren't you guys locksmiths or just people who have no idea what they're dragging me into?

On the right is nothing but a wall with that rich guy's son's shoes. A child would be nice to have, if anyone would let me get close to one without scaring the pants off them. So we took the left path and it led into a very dark room. It had a TV, even bigger than the one the boss had, a recliner, and thousands of snack options that smelled like junk food. Oh man, I think we just stepped into one hell of a man cave, and I want no part of it. The dudes seem hyped about this, why are they surprised? People like them look like they've been here a hundred times.

"That is one huge ass TV…" "And those snacks! Gremlin, they look fresh from a movie theater!" "Harry, I believe it's time we take another load off, be more like our cat for a while." "Yeah!" Now the dudes are starting to slack off? My favorite sport, I loved it when I wasn't being tortured or pushed around. As a matter of fact, nothing bad has happened to me at all so far, except for the spiral road thing.

Now before the dudes could dive into the snacks, the doll stops them: "Hold on you two, the last time you ate that food we had to bail you out!" Suddenly realizing his mistake, the coward puts the popcorn and sugar snacks down as he realized something weird was being smelled. "O-Oh damn it! You guys are right! Jin'ichi, don't eat the theater food!"

"Relax already, I brought our own! Popcorn and soda, on the house!" "Really!? Thanks a lot!!" Wow, the punk comes with free food. Dibs on the popcorn. "I'd be more concerned about finding the last key, and what if more guards show up?" Asked the girl. "Don't worry about it, we'll find the key later, but for now it's time to relax." the punk says as he signals the coward to follow him.

The two dudes squeezed into the red recliner as I sat next to the two. Heh, finally someone who understands how I feel about all this. It's either nothing or nothing with me around, I either do absolutely nothing, or die trying. Those were the rules they assigned me with. The two dudes munched and watched football while the lady and the doll looked around for some sort of key. I just hope they never find it, I'm just using my free will to lay down comfortably, I don't want anyone to interrupt it.

"Huh? This seat feels a little bumpy. Whoa! Wait a minute, is this the key?" Oh no, don't you fucking say that you coward, I was just about to get comfortable! "Hold on, just let me find a light switch…" Lady! Please don't do this to me, you are dragging me away from my destiny… I swear if they find whatever this key is...

The bad news, it was the yellow key that was stuck in the cushions, goddamn it, you coward. But the good news is I'll know where to go whenever I'm not suffering. Before we could leave though, we found a wall that was too disturbing to the naked eye. It had the heads of several animals, including but not limited to: frogs, bats, skunks, bass, and bears. I personally didn't care about what was hung, just as long as they saved the meat for me, I shrugged at it as I wanted to get out of the room before the others.

At least they provided me more entertainment besides staring at a wall all day... Huh? Hey, what's that? It looks very cat-like… I processed the newly found information the best I could, but when I did, I just wish I died like right here. I'm not even joking this time...

On the wall, right above the jumbo sized TV, were the heads of a lion and a tiger. Now this wasn't just any normal lion and tiger, it felt too nostalgic when I looked at them. Once I started looking at them, I couldn't stop myself from keeping my eyes on them. The more I stared at them, the more I figured out that these two wild cats couldn't have been paired together like this unless these two cats were my own parents…!

I'm trying to recall what happened on the day they took me in, but it's no use. My head won't allow it, I can't seem to stick the puzzle pieces right, my memory is too fogged up from my training, if you would call it that! I wanted to look away, and I really did try not to care, but it felt too real to be untrue! The others only noticed my behavior when I started to growl at myself. At this point, I began to notice their faces were just as horrified and worrisome as mine was. This couldn't have been for nothing, even if they were lying to me it just doesn't sit right with me! These guys weren't trying to get me to obey, they were trying to show me the truth!

"O-Oh my…" "This is fucked up…" "W-What happened to those poor innocent animals!?" The coward was obviously creeped out, the punk was a bit shaken, and the woman felt sorry for them. The doll answered the lady with regret: "They were hunted. Monigami was only a baby when it happened, but even now he treats humans like jackasses, the animals like prey, and his babysitters like dolls…"

Now the punk is angry again: "First jackasses, then dolls, now helpless prey!? What kind of child would…!?" "Oh no, it's Monigami!" the doll panicked as somebody was making their grand entrance!

A fat child shows up dressing like a goddamn rich man. Those childish shoes didn't indicate that there was a child involved in this rich guy's affairs, it actually meant that this damn kid was the one who was absolutely fucking rich! But I had no time to worry about that, I have to figure out what's going on here!!

"Huh!? Not you mother fuckers again! And that damn doll too!? What the fuck are you pieces of shit doing in my man cave!" Isn't he a little young to be this spoiled? The punk gets bored seeing as if he heard this all before…

"Stop throwing a goddamn temper tantrum already. We already know you're angry at us for trespassing or some shit like that. Yes we did trash your place before, yes I'm still fucking mad at you, and yes you're still awfully sick of that doll of yours slipping through your chubby little fingers, can't we just beat the shit out of you now and get it over with?" The kid got annoyed quickly by the sound of the punk, but then…

"Why you… huh? Is that…? Seize the cat!"

Uh oh, he seems to notice me growling at myself. A big honking butler comes in and grabs me, I'm normally used to this happening but now for some reason I'm squirming like a bug! He takes me to that chubby kid and points a pocket knife at me. I knew I was going to die by someone's hand, but I'd never thought I'd die to an immature brat like him…

"Liger!" The coward shouts, I still request you guys call me Naruki! "Everyone, stand back or the cat gets it!" the kid shouts violently, and the winner for the most menacing voice goes to, this guy.

"W-What do you want with him!?" The lady shouts worried. "Oh nothing. If this is what a lion and a tiger makes after sex, then this'll be an excellent addition to the family!" If you're putting my head up there you brat, I'll bite you whenever you walk here! "What the hell are you talking about?" The punk had to ask.

"Oh it's quite simple, it all started when I was born! Remember that wrong crowd my dad and I were in? They've been hunting animals of all sorts!" "Y-You mean, they were poachers!?" The lady was shocked by this cruel reveal, but he just kept going, with that same twisted smug as the boss!

"That's right you sick whore! They would sell the babies to the highest bid, and they collected the heads of nearly every animal out there! The rarer ones were given to them through manipulation and drug placement, and I watched as all those poor animals fell dead! A liger would make an excellent part of the collection because very few animals like him exist! Do you 4 have a fucking problem with that!?"

"Please forgive them master Monigami, I can assure you that they are only trying to help you." "You call swimming in my pool, running my dinner, and destroying my property helping!? They are dangerous criminals, they deserve to rot in jail for the rest of their lives! And you! You have the nerve to call me 'master' even before I played with you!? Every single one of you deserves a swift death!"

"Oh no…" "It's either you fuck-toy, or this freak-show! Who's it going to be!?" "Liger no!" "I can't lose you now! I've only known you for like two hours!" "Please don't hurt him! He's too innocent!" The three worry their butts off as I still tried squirming my way out of this twisted child's grasp.

I wasn't even paying any attention to any of them anymore. I was still growling at him as my instincts began to kick in, instincts that I was holding back for too long… and now, they're about to be unleashed! Now I remember everything! There was this lady who was promised to watch over me, she got addicted to these strange things that smelled funny at the time. After about a few weeks, she did an unsettling smile as I wondered what was going on. That's when things went to shit for me…

On the day I was taken away, these stupid jerks came into the reserve I was in, the guard just let me out and I watched my own parents get shot to death! I tried to get the lady watching over me to help, but all she did to help was wave goodbye while saying:

"So looong. *Hic* You'll be in a new home in no time. *Hic*"

I thought at the time she was planning this all along, which is why I didn't trust people as much, but now I see it was all his dumb family's fault!! This brat became like this because of his damn father, and now he wants to kill me!? I can't accept this! No way am I gonna just sit here and do absolutely fucking nothing anymore!! I wiggle out of the butler's grasp as a slash knocked him down! I then roared with all my might, shocking everyone who watched me scream! For the first time ever, I felt like rampaging through this damn mansion until I clobbered this child who watched my parents die!!!

**"Ready to rumble amigo? I'd bet he is!"**

Just then, I got this splitting headache! It somehow felt ten times worse than any torture session I've ever been through! I kept roaring and screaming as my feral instincts called to me!

**"This little squirt just watched your own dear parents get shot! And you want to do nothing about it? Unacceptable! What you need to do is to rebel against this sick bastard! Take out all of that repressed anger on him, doesn't that sound like the right thing to do?"**

Aw, hell yeah! Let me at 'em!

**"Oh boy! Your eyes have the burning fury you kept away for so long! Let's show him what we're made of together! I am thou, thou art I, the anger you hold flows through your blood as it erupts like an active volcano! You are lion and tiger, you should be able to hear yourself roar! It's time for humans to see that you are not pathetic! You are a wild animal, and you will always be one!"**

I roared even louder with all my might as some strange red stuff was flowing through my veins! And before I knew it, my appearance started to completely change! I could stand on two feet now, a belt and brown underpants were formed near my legs, I became more muscular and human as my eyes went from small to fiercely big! And right behind me was a two headed chimera that just came out. One neck is a lion, the other is a tiger, the fur of the creature seemed to be both of them at once! I gazed at my enemy as my once savage roar started transitioning into a voice of my own! A voice that sprung to life as I heard myself talk for the first time!

"You wanted a beast to catch? Well I've got your beast right here sucker!" "O-Oh my god! A talking liger!?" Don't be so impressed you coward, the punk is more battle ready than you are right now! "This'll be fun…"

"I'll just be over here!" The doll retreats behind the recliner as the spoiled brat got really ticked all of a sudden. "Oh fuck no! Not again! I will not tolerate any more of those stupid 'Personas'! Kill them already before I snap your damn neck off!"

The butler then proceeds to turn into something that represents the stuff he hunted. I don't know what to call it, but it gives me good practice before I have to beat the shit out of that psycho toddler! I nod to my new comrades as they were prepared to fight too!

"Heh. Is that the best you got? Hiding behind your damn minions so that you could escape my fury?" "And I thought I was the coward! Alright guys, you know the drill!" "Indeed we do Hero! Beat 'em up…" "Add support…" "And clobber the living daylights out of him! Let's rock, Striped-Nemean!"

We all scattered as the butlers kept turning into ancient hunters and stuff like that, but we knew we were ready for this. The other three tore off their masks as they shouted "Persona!" at the top of their lungs, that must've hurt. The coward wasn't one for now, as he released an ancient warrior of his own he calls Hercules, the punk goes insane and brings out a small gremlin he calls Gizmo, the woman, with a smile on her face, brings out her mermaid friend Ariel! Together, we punched, slashed, bubbled and bit our way through these monsters!

Just then, all three of them glowed with power as their own Personas started to change: Hercules traded his armor for a much-needed muscular boost, engulfing his body in green flames, Gizmo turned more aggressive and green as well, and Ariel's hair and eyes glowed blue as the tail got more purple scales and the strange rocks the lady welds started to glow…

**"Super Power!"**

**"Ahahahaha! Super Assemble!"**

**_"Super Charm!"_**

Just then the superhero punched away the hunters with all his might, using the snack table, the punk made a giant cream pie to launch at one of the foes to distract it, and the woman blasted a beam that instantly restored the hero's stamina so that he can punch again!

As for me, Striped-Nemean and I slashed our way through more of those hunters and I glowed orange as I gained black stripes of my own. My Persona retreated as I started to gain saber tooth fangs, putting them to good use was surely no problem…

I ran on all fours as I jumped up high and chomped down hard on the biggest one in the crowd. This killed it instantly, but there wasn't time to stick around, for the trio and I are tired. I was led out by my scurvy crew as we escaped the mansion and hid behind the bush until the crew established what was going on. The superhero was of course the most excited to see me like this…

"That was amazing! If that isn't a weird ass cat, I don't know what is!" "Should I take that as a compliment?" I shrugged as the punk quickly answered that question: "Yeah you should! You now look extra tough now that you awakened!"

"You truly look worthy of the title of a wild cat." "Aw shucks, thanks lady, and here I was thinking you guys were going to sell me off or some shit like that." "He even knows how to cuss?! It's official, you are the coolest cat I've ever met!" The punk seems impressed at my vocabulary.

"Yeah! It makes me think this was a dream! But… what makes you think we were going to sell you?" Good question coward, I was about to answer before the doll interrupted me. "We have no time for that, you guys better get out of here before Monigami finds out we're gone again!"

"We can't. If we went back the way we came in now, people would notice a liger in front of Monigami's house." Good observation punk, you already pointed that out back when I didn't trust you. "I don't want to take the bus again, it smells!" You can say that again lady. I look at the coward's thing in his hand, it must be important. "Maybe that thing you're holding has a way to go…?"

"What, my phone? That's funny, I don't remember a gas button being here before…" "Huh? Doesn't this look a little suspicious to you? Why would a gas button, at the most dire of situations, be here now?" "Siren, when a button is right in front of you, sometimes you just have to press it. Let 'em rip Hero."

Suddenly a door appeared when the superhero pressed the button. All of us, but the doll for some reason, entered the door and it somehow took us straight back to the gas station. The 3 of them were surprised to be back here, but I wasn't, seeing as though I knew something like this would help us out somehow…

"What the!? We're back at the gas station!" the hero said a bit confused, for once I can relate to that statement. "This is where we came in right?" yep, no doubt about it punk.

"This must represent the human urge to go to a gas station whenever we run out of gas. Seeing as though this button only shows itself whenever we get tired, it must think we ourselves ran out of gas for today." Nice theory woman, why does everyone have to be so cryptic?

"This still doesn't make any sense." "That's what I've been feeling this whole time super-guy. I have no idea who you guys are, I don't know why I'm a muscular bulk, and how the fuck did I learn how to talk!?" Nothing made sense for me when I first came in, and a lot of stuff that made absolutely no sense happened in one day.

"Only one way to find out. Let's ask HEX." "Good plan Gremlin, I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of this world…"

We took the exit out the same way we went in, and their clothes, and my suddenly bulky body, turned back to normal. We were back in the alleyway, where that HEX guy was. He looked like he was expecting us, and they were expecting him.

"Heh. So you've returned? What questions do you guys have this time?" Even when his voice sounded off, I could detect a hint of repetitiveness. "Why is there a gas station here and why did we teleport back there?" I should've known the coward would ask the first question.

"This is the shopping district of Shibuya right? People come here all the time, and they go to gas stations all the time, don't they? Anywhere that people come to 'fuel up' their life is represented by a gas station in Mementos Lane." "And what, might I add, is Mementos Lane?"

"I'm glad you asked Hero, in Mementos Lane, you can visit the Palaces of other people, but I'd recommend you don't go Palace searching on your own though. There are those who target other Palaces on occasion, including the Phantom Thieves themselves. Traveling to other Palaces without my guidance will put you at risk of being found out." "Oh my." said the girl in response. I'd bet you all my steaks for what the coward is about to ask next, so I'll just save him the trouble.

"Yeah, but another question I have… how th-" "What the fuck happened to me!?" HEX put his finger to his mouth and shushed me a bit for some reason. That finger almost made me bite down on it, but I didn't do it for some damn reason! He just smirked a bit like a creep, and then became that emotionless wasted guy again a few seconds later...

"Shh… people can still hear you meow. Animals like you go under a different kind of awakening. Depending on your nature, instead of just a suit, you change into what you feel like you needed at the time. You felt enraged, anger was built up from the many years of inexperience, thus you wanted to become stronger than strong." "Yeah, but that doesn't exactly explain everything that just happened. I still don't know any of you guys!"

"Well, we can help you Liger. Introduce yourself first, so that we can get a clearer picture of you…" "Are you sure you guys want to hear it? It's pretty stupid." Why should I explain it to them, they have no business inspecting origin stories. "Come on, every one of us has stupid things that happen to us." the punk says confidently.

"The best release of your inner sadness is to express it in full detail." The lady says it, and now I can't help but blush a bit. I guess I have to tell them…

"Oh alright, but just remember that you asked for it. I was born into an animal reserve all nice and tight, my mother was a tiger, my father was a lion. As a baby liger named Naruki, I kept seeing these strange men influencing the lady in charge of me. At first, I thought it was going to be fine compared to what might happen then, but then, they barged right in one night, shot my parents, and I was sold to this rich man called Teruhama. That was where I was tortured until the moment I stopped fighting it. You guys managed to bring me back to my senses, and that's a relief, but I'll never forget the smug millionaire's face."

"A millionaire?" The coward here got a bit surprised, "Another victim to the mental shutdowns I think." the lady talked about something I have no clue about, "Yep. Totally called it." and the punk doesn't care. They couldn't handle the truth, I can tell.

"Let me guess, the guy died because he pissed someone off, and you were sold to my dad. What did he do wrong?" "I don't know punk, he had this sick obsession with that political Shido guy and…"

"What!? You mean to say he's… nope! I don't want to hear what else was on that guy's mind!" The coward sounds completely frightened by the situation, I told you that you couldn't handle it...

"A man who loves another man is definitely corrupt!" The woman says sternly, well now that you mention it, he loves a corrupt guy, so I don't see why I can't side with her too.

"Yeah… that guy must've been seriously bugging the gods, so they must've dropped the brick on him." "B-But, that's not how the gods work at all! They have nothing to do with mental shutdowns do they HEX?" "No they don't. I haven't been able to confirm yet with the thieves if they know anything about who's causing the shutdowns, but I'll look into it."

"Thank you, and in the meantime can we please talk about our stories?" the coward asked me if I was done, I guess I am. "Huh? Oh sure, go right ahead, my story gets pretty predictable anyway. I'd bet you guys had it better than me." "Did we really?" asked the punk. "Um… yeah?" I guessed. That's when the coward started getting a little less cowardly, and more down to heart. He looked like he never told an origin story before, and he looks a bit sick in the stomach for trying to get it out of his mouth, but he does it anyway. This'll be good, I'd bet it involves money in some form…

"Let me start, I suppose the two of you also haven't heard my whole story yet. I'm still a little hesitant to tell it, but you have to know what's going on with me, so here goes. It all started when I was younger. I had this best friend of mine, his name was Mao. He was the best friend in the whole world, and I never thought of him as someone who wasn't. But then… he began to suffer. I don't remember exactly what happened during that period, but the entire time, I was too scared to help him..."

"I couldn't save him after what happened to his parents, he blamed me for everything… and I never saw him again… it was from that day forward that I promised myself that I would stop being the coward I am. I looked everywhere for anything to make me less of a scared little kid. But that opportunity never came… I was still panicking over the tiniest of things, and I did my best to hide it at the new school. But I always fear that the second I show fear to the class, will be the second my life will be ruined. That's why I hate being a coward, if being a coward wasn't enough to save my friend, then I'd rather die than live in a world where people make fun of my fears…"

"Whoa. I never thought experiencing something from the third person would be so awful until now." The punk looked at the guy as he pulled down his baseball cap with a frown. The lady began to cry a bit as she was moved by that story: "Oh you poor thing… your friend will be okay. He'll always be in your heart…" HEX then says something cryptic to the not-so coward, while trying to ignore the rest of us: "Never forget your dearest friends, Hakaru. They are the key to finding what you seek…"

"Huh. So you do have it worse than me… all I got was torture, but you had to watch your own buddy lose himself. That's something I never heard from people like you until now." Yep, just a while ago I always thought of humans as these simple minded-buffoons, but now look at me, I'm starting to feel a little sorry for the guy myself. The others play their parts by bringing him back up…

"Hey. Don't be so negative about it Harry. We've got your backs and you've got ours." "I can see where you have developed your sense of justice. You don't do it because you want to be special, you do it because you want to stop being afraid."

"Let me tell you now Harry, aside from a couple of slip ups, you helped me become someone I've never thought I'd become in a very long time. You helped me become supportive of you. If it weren't for your charm, bravery, and the way you introduced me to the Phantom Thieves, I wouldn't have become someone better than my old-self."

"Yeah… I just wanted you to stop suffering from within. When I saw that look on your face before I pulled Doll-Hakaru's string, I could tell that you were afraid of the truth. I had to do something to get you a better chance to defend yourself. If Monigami had the numbers, me and Takeyoshi on our own couldn't fight him. I had to take a chance and hope that you would feel strong enough to help me in the future."

"Well it worked. I knew you had good in you Harry, I just never knew you were that good until then." "Your intentions are nothing short of pure. There's no need to feel bad about the past."

"Just do what I do. Don't bring up the past, if you don't want it to affect you in the future." I give the best advice, some are not always helpful, but hey, what are you going to do?

"As long as we're around, we'll help you become the brave boy I know you'll be." says the punk as a smile gets put on the dude's face: "Thanks guys."

And then they hugged. Can't say I'm surprised but, yeah that's what they did. Suddenly, Hakaru pulled me into the mix, and they kept on hugging. I have to admit, this was the warmest feeling I felt since the time I was near the fireplace back at Teruhama's mansion. I let myself purr as the warm embrace of this circle began to split, I felt a bit blush after what happened to me, so I decided to get more exposition in me to balance it out. I looked at the punk first so that he could probably tell me how he got so violent.

"So, aren't you two going to tell me about your stories?" "I've thought you never asked bobcat…"

And so they went on and on about what happened to them. Jin'ichi was an ordinary boy before some bitch came along and ruined his life before he screwed with the school with a deal that lets him be as bad as he wants. Akiyo was raped by these men, and she has some ability to sense purity or something. Either way these guys have come a long way, an even longer way than I ever had. And now that I know the truth about myself, I couldn't help but thank them for what they've done to help.

For what felt like the first time in my life, I actually felt proud of humans, they aren't just dumb monkeys who just mock you at every turn, well at least some of them are, but there are some who are much more flexible than I originally thought. Y'know, maybe hanging with these guys won't be such a bomb after all. I mean, as long as they keep me well fed and stuff, I'm all in!

"Whew! I'm here! Sorry I'm late!"

I should've seen that coming... There's a kid with a square eye patch and another baseball cap that looks much more different from the one Jin'ichi has. I can't say that I'm surprised that there's a kid in this band of thieves. I mean, it's good for kids to learn to fight while they're young right? The kid caught his breath, and then he noticed the elephant in the room, or rather, the massive cat.

"Little Takeyoshi! Look who we found, it's a liger. Half lion, half tiger." Jin'ichi introduced me to him as I felt a little shameful, but also a bit satisfied with the way he presented me. It wouldn't hurt if you called me Naruki though... "A real liger? That's impossible! A real liger has stripes and a mane!" the child tries to deny as Akiyo and Hakaru tell him otherwise...

"Oh trust me child. That is a real life liger." "Yeah. We have the box to prove it."

Oh this is just great... The kid is messing with my face. Please stop. And would you look at that, he's laughing while hugging me from nearly every angle. Never in my life have I been hugged by a child. It's experiences like this that make me unable to resist purring.

"Whoa! This liger is freaking awesome! Now we'll show Monigami who's boss!" "Um… yeah, about that…" Hakaru says trying to explain that he's late, Jin'ichi clears it up for the kid in his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor...

"Don't worry about it kid. We took photos of our latest visit, and Harry will supply the context to these pictures while I take our star back to the dump." "Huh? Why me?" "I believe you can speak child am I right? And plus, you have the pictures on your phone, you should be fine while I head back to my stand." Akiyo gladly states as Hakaru felt a little awkward having to explain everything again.

"Oh well, I may have missed out this time, but I promise you guys that I'll be back and better than ever by tomorrow!" The kid seems to not mind missing one adventure, although I can sense his envy in his voice. "Yeah. I hope so. Okay, so here's everything that went down in our adventure, HEX back me up here." "Your stories, your problem." "Oh alright…"

Hakaru and Takeyoshi stayed behind while I got put inside the box again. I appreciate that you guys like me and all, but this better be the last time you put me in the box. When I got out, I was suddenly surrounded by trash and junk from every angle. Nobody could see me no matter what, and there was only one way out, and that was a door-shaped hole in the junk. I looked at Jin'ichi who was carrying a few pieces of junk that goes into a strange house built from scrap metal. That didn't look like the house I was told about.

Just then, Jin'ichi's arms glowed green as he quickly pieced together a wooden table before quickly getting tired. What the!? How did he do that without going into that alternate world!? He's not even Gremlin and yet this is how his free time was spent? I was confused as heck as a steel door sealed the strange looking house.

"What the heck is going on here!?" "It's a surprise. Let's just say it'll come in handy in future get-togethers. Also, please take an easy on the roars, people can hear you." "I knew that, but how did you use your powers without turning into Gremlin?" "I dunno. Must've been the special power I had when I first got Gizmo. I'm sure this'll come in handy. *yawn* It's time for dinner, then I'm getting some shut-eye. You can hang in there for now, but don't cause a ruckus."

"Oh don't worry, I'm great at that. Although now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry myself." "No problem, I'll make sure to save you a steak, that's what we usually eat around here y'know."

And so, I walked into this strange house and found a small table with small rugs surrounding it. There's a place to take off shoes and wipe on the welcome mat, it's even got a working soda machine salvaged from the junk he found, complete with plastic cups. I decided to lay down on a giant pillow I found, it sure beats sleeping in the cage, and then Jin'ichi brought the cooked steak out to me as he promised. The steak itself wasn't too bad, but I think it tasted better raw.

And then, I never made another peep as I drifted fast asleep. I didn't get any more bad dreams that night, and when I did, it didn't bother me as much as before. Now that I know what truly happened that day, plus the respect I've been given lately, I'm proud to say I'm going to like it here. My mother and father are going to be so proud of me once I "steal Monigami's heart" or whatever, but until then, I dream of my future even more satisfied than I ever was before. Sure my new family might be rascals, but at heart, they just want to quit suffering like I do. Most people ask what I intend to do once these guys kick the bucket, or finish saving the world. My response? Wake me up when the sausage pancakes are ready...


	5. C1 (Takeyoshi): The One-Eyed Reaper!

Um… hi! My name is Takeyoshi Winslow, I'm the one-eyed eight-year old you've probably heard about. How did I get this title you may ask? Well it's very simple, if not easy. It all started when I was born. Well, let's not start there, my life as a baby is the hardest to remember. I entered the first grade for the first time when I was about 6, that's not exactly a rare feat coming from a child like me but that's what I did. Back then, I still had my two eyes intact and the only friends I ever had were Yuki and Reo. We formed a fan club called the Super Kids, it was a fun little club we were in. I was the one who does all the stuff, Yuki was the smart one, and Reo was the one we saved from being different.

You see, Reo is an ex-bully, thanks to Yuki standing up to him they realized that they aren't so different. It was I who did my best to motivate him to action, it was then that I realized that I'm special in my own way. Who else was going to let Yuki address Reo's many flaws in an over complicated list that made him cry? It turns out Reo meant good, he was only doing it because he thought it was cool to pick on other kids. We taught him what is really cool, like those video games Yuki has. I showed them my trading cards, and Reo demonstrated his skills as a baseball player.

Together, we managed to survive elementary school together up until the second grade, where we got a new student in class that would change our lives forever. Mrs. Wilma brought him in, he seemed nice because he was a chubby kid with short hair and the eyes of a cute little cat. He wore his spiffy little school outfit as the three of us knew exactly what a kid like him needs: adventure! We were already thinking about him joining our club, he looked so nice, he couldn't refuse!

"Children, we have a new student here today. I heard all about him from his parents and I had a feeling he'll get along great with you all. Why don't you introduce yourself?" "Hello. My name is Monigami Peroski, I hope you guys respect me for who I am." "Wow, that child sounded so nice!" I thought at the time, even the teacher seemed to like him.

"Aw. I can already tell he'll be an excellent addition. Now Monigami, you'll be sitting next to Takeyoshi, he'll be happy to show you the ropes." "Yes Mrs. Wilma." Monigami said happily as he walked towards my seat. Oh boy, the new kid was approaching my seat, and I was ready for anything!

He sat down next to me on the desk to my left, he kept smiling as I decided to welcome him. If there was any opportunity for me to get to know him, now is the perfect time to do it. I started with a wave, but he didn't pay attention, so I tapped his shoulder and finally his head turned my way as I gladly introduced myself.

"Monigami, it's nice to meet you! My name is Takeyoshi. I hope you have a very good school year." "Oh, I will…" "Um…" Monigami's cute smile suddenly turned into a smile of something that looks like a super villain...

At the time, I had no idea why he smiled so weirdly. Little did I know, he was going to give me a whole lotta trouble! At the hallway, me and my friends were planning on heading over to the maid cafe today. For some reason my parents allowed me to do what I want, so naturally I decided to see what the excitement was about. But while we were discussing plans, Monigami walked over with a smile, maybe he wanted to join us?

"What are you guys talking about?" Monigami asks with a curious look on his face. "We were planning to go somewhere fun after school, wanna come with?" Reo offered, but Monigami looked at the ground for some reason. I too looked down long and hard wondering what he was looking at. Was there something wrong with the tile, maybe there's some money, or does he have a pet ladybug?

It was none of those things, Monigami pushed me down to the floor, with my own friends watching, and chuckled a bit to himself devilishly. I looked at him and his smile wasn't cute anymore, it was absolutely despicable! "Takeyoshi! Why did you do that!?" Yuki shouted as I cried from the injury. "Because, you three are a bunch of brats. You are nothing compared to me, and I'll make sure you understand that…" Monigami's voice wasn't cute either! It was foul, repulsive and very supervillain-like! "Hey! We aren't brats! You're the brat around here sucker!" Reo shouted as he attempted to punch Monigami.

Monigami dodged and kicked Reo over, the brawn of our trip has fallen! This kid isn't just a bully, he's the biggest jerk in the world! I tried to tell the teacher about this, but long story short, I got a time-out! But why!? I didn't even do anything bad, does the teacher still think that Monigami is good!? He certainly wasn't good to us today, so why should they ignore him!? Apparently, I had to tell my parents what I did wrong, and my dad said: "Was this because of a bully? When I was your age, every time I was blamed for something, I would be abused by my father just because my sister gave me an innocent cookie. What you need to do is find some way to expose him for the fraud he is."

I'll do just that dad, I won't let you down! But, I kinda did let him down… Starting from day one, when no one was watching, Monigami would constantly pick on me and my friends. He gave us wedges, he ate our food, and the insults flew in secret. But the worst he could do was in private.

He often takes certain kids into an alleyway, and he kept demanding that he'd get stuff from them, including me, I lost half my allowance that way. Whenever someone tries to tell their teacher about him, they get sent on time out because they think Monigami is innocent! That's not far at all! Even when we weren't in school, Monigami would check for the opportunity he could pick on people without being noticed. He doesn't even say a word when he does it like that, he just takes what he wants!

We had no idea what to do, this kid was just too mean, and he took advantage of our weaknesses. None of the kids speak up nowadays, but they aren't afraid to tell their parents, but once they get the confidence to go after him, they get knocked down again. And I don't think Monigami's parents had good judgement, because whenever someone comes over to complain, they try with all their might to deny that he's bad. It worked out too well for the kid as the toddler of terror continued his crime spree.

We all tried to get even with him somehow, but he still picked on me, a year or two have passed and he still didn't get what he deserves. But that's when I saw the new student, and I don't know about you, but she looks so beautiful! Her reddish hair was quite gorgeous, her clothes were always sparkling clean, she looked very young and well trained in self-defense, not even Monigami picks on her because he has no dirt on her. She simply turns away from bullies and occasionally spits the ground. I had no idea what kind of lady she was, but she felt absolutely perfect! I introduced myself to her in the hallway, she looked quite happy to see a guy like me.

"H-hello…? My name is… T-takeyoshi!" I felt like I was gonna die, standing in front of a lady has made my mind go into overdrive! "Hi! My name is Junko Yumasu, I just moved here the other day and I love everything about this place!" Junko was optimistic, a trait I personally found to be very dashing in a lady. This made me smile, hopelessly in love, and I tried to get more words out, but all that came out was pure gibberish. She giggled as a response, it was such a perfect laugh, I didn't know what to say except: "Would you like to eat lunch with me?" I said as fast as I could, thankfully she understood…

"Lunch? That's great, but I have to make more friends or else my brother would be sad. He doesn't like making friends as much anymore, mostly because his old friend dumped him. I really shouldn't be saying these things aloud, but

I hope we see each other again someday!" And I did see her, every day. She was the light in my tunnel, and I didn't want it to go away. One day, Monigami approached her, the horror! If he gets his grubby little hands dirty with her girl cooties, I swear I'll never forgive that bully!

"Hey sunshine, aren't you a pretty one?" He just flirted with her! Oh my gosh he's a maniac! But, Junko ignored him. Oh no, she's in for it now… "Hey! Don't you dare ignore me like you don't know who I am!" "Your fat." Monigami froze! She insulted him with a smile on her face, and even though Monigami was going to be even more mad at her, that was awesome! I think I love her even more!

Just then, Monigami was charging at her, I tried to warn Junko, but she suddenly lost her bright smile. I felt a strange feeling in the air, as if the lady has had enough of his trouble. "Stop! You're nothing but an ugly, fat, piece of cow-poop! Now if you don't mind, I have better things to do. If you do anything else to me, I'll tell my dad. And let me tell you now, my dad is the best dad in the whole world." Monigami stopped at the lady's fury, I had never seen her so angry and it almost scared me. But then she smiled again and said: "Bye fat kid, I hope you have a bad day!" and then walked away as Monigami's pride was hurt that day.

He tried to tell on her by going to the teacher, but she didn't believe him!? Unfortunately, Monigami didn't get in trouble, but when I asked how Junko remained so tough that day: "Oh that? I got it from my dad, he's always so threatening, I'm glad that actually worked in my favor. Now people won't rape me when I sound like that." What's a rape? I don't know, I was too distracted by her looks to come up with a definition. I didn't even bother looking for a definition because I know it would be a bit bad to say it aloud.

My friends found out about this and we talked about it at Yuki's apartment. It's the one with all kinds of stuff relating to comics, cool ideas written on paper, and all kinds of stuff. We sat in the middle of the floor as we talked about what's going on.

"Sorry, guys. I've just been so distracted with Junko, that I completely forgot about Monigami." I said with a blush. "What do we do leader? Monigami hasn't found a way to break her yet, we saw her counter Monigami like a boss and she didn't even flinch at one of his threats!" Yuki worried. "But it's only a matter of time before she gives in and becomes Monigami's toy!" Reo said. That made me angry, like, super angry. So I yelled: "I won't let Monigami ruin the only one for me! I'll see to it myself she doesn't get hurt, even if I'll have to do all kinds of stupid stuff to stop him!"

Me and my big mouth. A few months later, something happened that changed everything I knew about stuff! Not even Monigami could compare to what happened to me by then! It was a nice day, give or take, I was with my mom during one of her infamous shopping trips on Sundays as we took the train to the next supermarket. But then, something started to go wrong, we were going faster and faster, down the rails as fast as lightning! Zoom! Here I was, thinking we suddenly entered a race, as I cheered for a few seconds before I realized the train wasn't stopping at our stop! My mom held on tight to me and I just began to realize there was something wrong!

"M-mom? What's going on!?" "Oh I'm sure the driver's having a rough day, I think… Hey you! Are you okay!?" My mother was getting nervous as she stormed to the front, while I myself began to shiver in place...

We took one look at the driver, and although I couldn't see his eyes at the time, he looked tired and angry at the same time. At first, I thought he didn't go to sleep at night, but he had this blank stare going on that kinda scared the heck out of me! I held on tight to my mom as she kept trying to get the engineer's attention!

The train shook and rocked as I began to panic. Suddenly, the whole train fell off the rails with a smack! A bang! A big kapow! I crashed into one of the windows with my left eye exposed! It hurt so much, I couldn't stop crying! Fortunately, my mother and I survived the crash, and that's why I wear an eye patch. While I was still recovering from my pain at the hospital, I didn't see my parents after my mom's injuries were cured about a few days later. I was alone, but my friends supported me and they each gave me a get-well card to show that they cared.

The first one was from Reo, who gave me a small picture of a whale, those are my favorite. He wrote in his messy handwriting: "Takeyoshi, it'll be alright! I'll help you like you helped me!" The next one was a store-bought card with the rocket with a silly cat on it. He always gets me that one without any words because he has a fear of expressing positives with particular words, or something. I don't know why, but I think he'd rather talk about it himself.

I smiled at those cards, knowing that when I get back to school tomorrow, everything will be alright. My parents came to pick me up, which made me so happy to see them again after they disappeared for a couple of weeks. When I returned to school, I showed the crew my eye-patch. Reo thinks it makes me look tough, and Yuki is impressed that I've survived the train incident, it was a miracle! And of course, Monigami made fun of the eye patch, but I didn't mind, not this time. It makes me look like a pirate, one of my favorite things, so what if it looks like a cereal piece is stuck to my face? I love it and there's nothing he can say to change my mind!

When I was eating lunch that day, Junko saw the eye-patch and she was surprised as she quickly sat down next to me. This is not a drill Takeyoshi, this is not a drill! "Oh my, what happened?" She asked out of concern. "A train. A trainman crashed his own train for some reason, I got hurt so bad I needed an eye-patch." I answered. "Yeah I know, it was something people like to call a mental shutdown thing. Y'know, when your eyes disappear and you can't move at all, it's like they died on the inside or something!" She felt a bit shaky due to the constant news about stuff crashing, who would've thought I would be a part of one of those things.

"Hey, Junko. What do you think of my eye-patch?" She smiled when I asked her, and she said: "I think it's wonderful! You look so cool with that eye-patch, that's a thing I can definitely take seriously around here!" "Y-you, really think it's amazing?" "Yes! Wanna eat together?" "Y-yeah!" And we did. I ate the sandwich my mom packs my, and Junko always had that cute bento box. I have no idea how her dad keeps making them, but she shared some with me, it wasn't too bad.

Junko left with a smile, I was staring at her beautifulness as she walked away with my friends just getting out of the bathroom. My friends noticed my lovesick behavior and snapped me out of it...

"Um… Takeyoshi? What's with that look on your face?" Questioned Yuki. "Hey, you think Takeyoshi is in love with Junko?" Said Reo winking at Yuki. "Well, he seems to be expressing signs of attraction whenever he sees her." Yuki calculated before I snapped out of my trance.

"Huh? What? Oh, hey guys! Junko sat with me for lunch, isn't that great?" Yuki nodded while Reo started stuffing the rest of his food in his mouth. "Indeed, but what if you-know-who shows up and takes her?" "Then in that case Yuki, I'll just have to make sure he never bothers her! I've got a plan!"

"Takeyoshi, you know you don't stand a chance against him!" "Reo has a point, none of our bully proofing techniques seem to work on him!" Yuki said worried as I felt sure of myself...

"Trust me. I know exactly what to do to get him to stop bothering us! This Monday, after school, I'm gonna bring my piggy bank to him and strike a deal he can't refuse, especially in public. If he doesn't take the bait, he'll at least be exposed for whom he really is right in the open!" "Do you really think this'll work?" Yuki asks.

"I hope so, this guy has been getting on my nerves!" Reo sounded a little mad at himself for letting him get picked on by a child younger than him. "Relax boys. I can assure you that once this is all over, we'll be munching on ice cream before the day is done!" I say confidently as I slurp my juice box, I can taste victory already!

And so we cheered as my confidence skyrocketed. The only problem I have left, I'm a bit scared. My father always told me, if you live in fear, you'll never grow up to be a man. And starting this Monday, that was exactly what I was gonna do! I'm gonna become a man, no matter what it takes!

There I was, smack dab in the middle of Shibuya, the date was May the 2nd. I prepared myself to stand up to him, with my piggy bank in hand. His parents were busy elsewhere, and there weren't very many people around, which meant that he could do anything he wanted. But not for much longer…

"Monigami!" I shouted. "Yes? What is it?" asked Monigami while pulling off that fake smile. It's now or never Takeyoshi, if you don't stop him you'll never be able to live with yourself again!

"W-Well, you are always picking on people who can't defend themselves, well you know what? That stops here! I'm giving you all the money I've saved up to buy that ultra rare trading card, and that sweet new video game too, but only if you promise never to bother anyone again!"

He thought long and hard, while keeping that smile on his face. Then he took the piggy bank, which meant I did it, but he emptied only one coin from the bank, and he gave it back to me. The smile of his false face started to get more twisted as he expressed what he thought about me…

"Heh. You think that a worthless scrub like you would give me the benefit of the doubt? You're even stupider than I thought, you're doing this for a lady are you not? Well, I'll take just one coin, that means I won't pick on you for a whole week. But by the time that happens, your girlfriend will be mincemeat. I can promise you that."

I looked in horror to see if anyone was paying attention as he stared at me with that smug face. That's it, nobody else was going to do it, and I'll just stir up trouble if I did. I cried knowing that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop him. He giggled like the 'innocent' child he was before he smirked at the two people behind me. One was an ordinary teen, and the other was a punk rebel. I had to explain my dilemma to them since they were older than me, but I didn't know they were gonna help me…

They managed to cheer me up a bit by telling them they're a part of this team called the Phantom Thieves, and they're going to help beat Monigami using an app they had.

At the time, I didn't know what they were talking about. But when I was first taken into the Cognitive World. I was amazed at how big the place was, I saw Monigami looking like a rich person, a whole bunch of mules with other people's hair, and most importantly, Hakaru became a literal Hero for the first time! I was so amazed by this, and that stranger that cleared things up told me that I have potential! Unfortunately, I didn't have the capability to become like Hero yet, but I felt like I had high hopes for my own future, and these guys helped me when no one else did!

I went back home that day to see my friends sleeping over with me, they had ice cream sandwiches at the ready, but I didn't bring any of my own just to surprise them. I know I wasn't supposed to tell my parents about this, and my friends are no exception. But they had to know that I was chosen to be someone unlike any other!

"Um… Takeyoshi? Why aren't you celebrating with us?" Reo asks curiously, I felt a little sad as I cleared things up with the boys… "Well… the deal sorta didn't work. He'll spare me for now, but he'll be going after Junko instead..."

"What!? That's terrible!" Yuki was shocked because of this outcome while Reo was more angry than ever: "I knew he was too good for a deal like this!" "No wait! It's okay, I know how I can beat him, but this is another task I must do on my own." I said to them trying to ease the mood a little. But after saying something like that, anyone wouldn't easily be recovering from that…

"You couldn't even convince him to stop! What makes you think that you can beat him now!?" Reo panicked a bit and shook as Yuki tried to stay calm, but failed: "The odds of success are at 1%! You can't just fight him!"

"Maybe I can't. But they can help me. Trust me, I've seen what these guys can do, if they can help me overcome my fears, then I'll be able to fight! I'm now extra super duper certain that I can stop him for good if I can just get some help!" I said to them with confidence in my tone, I wasn't able to say stuff like this before, but I'll do whatever it takes to become stronger!

"Are you sure you can trust them? The older generation seems to be very aggressive towards kids their age." Yuki was a bit nervous, but I kept a straight face the whole time...

"Look, Hakaru and Jin'ichi both know what they're doing. Jin'ichi is a rough and tough guy who punches his way through stuff, and Hakaru is a freaking superhero for crying out loud!" "I'm sorry what?" Reo got confused right there, perhaps I should've kept my mouth shut about this, but I can't stop now!

"Just give me a couple of days on my own and I'll make that bully wish he was never born!" I never thought I'd actually have to battle him, but as long as I get my vengeance, I'll be even. The two boys looked at me confused and worried about me for a bit, but then Reo put his own trust in my idea: "Well… okay. If you two could change me, I'm sure you can do the same to Monigami."

"We'll do our best to help you Takeyoshi, I just hope you know what you're getting into." I nodded to Yuki and made a tiny fist with a smile on my face: "I am. When the sun rises, and my school vacation starts, I'm gonna kick some Shadow butt!"

"Uh… okay! Good luck punching shadows!" Says Reo, still being confident despite the awkwardness in my tone. "If it makes you feel better, why not go after flies or geese?" Yuki said being a bit sarcastic, but I don't have time for flies or geese!

"Nope! It has to be Shadows, I'll protect you both from the horrors of that bully no matter what it takes!" I said as I ate the ice cream sandwich I kept in my pocket. It tastes like courage!

And so by the next day, I've only begun to scratch the surface of my true potential as a real Phantom Thief! And pretty soon, I felt myself becoming stronger than ever, and I thank the Phantom Thieves for giving me courage where I didn't have it before! When my stick turned into a sword, I started to have belief that my powers are stronger than I thought! I gave Jin'ichi my baseball cap in the pool because I didn't want him to lose his cool. The dolls kinda creeped me out, but I had the idea to help Jin'ichi awaken his Persona during Shadow Monigami's monologue. Doll-Hakaru was the only doll that didn't creep me out, in fact, after that whole jail thing, I think I started to get attached.

Akiyo joined the team after we took a train, and boy did I not like it! At first, she was a little confused as I was when I first came to this magical world, but dang was she grateful that we had a noble cause! I tried to turn my sword into various things while Hakaru and Jin'ichi were clearing things up for her, and it worked! Now I could create nearly anything using my imagination! I mostly create whales because they're big, heavy, and I love whales!

I helped Akiyo discover her power on my own, and then she became known as Siren, and even though I was too late for the next mission since I was held up by my mother going shopping, I met a real life liger named Naruki! That was so cool, we have a real life wild cat! Hakaru eventually helped me catch up thanks to the pictures he took on his phone. And boy was I hyped for the next mission!

After I helped Jin'ichi overcome his problems, I kept close to my old friends in the real world, and they were under the impression that I'll have to fight Monigami for real. Even though they thought it was a bad idea, they helped me the best they could. During my free time, Yuki played fighting games with me, so I could memorize the moves of as many fighters I could, while Reo helped get me into fighting shape at the gym by running on the treadmill, even my family was into helping when I explained my dilemma!

My mom is very supportive and helpful, she's great at making things with paper and other kinds of art and crafts. I guess you could say I'm pretty good at arts and crafts myself. My dad is pretty smart and creative, he's supposed to be this "blacksmith" who makes weapons out of metal. Trust me, I'll need them in order to stand up to that bully! Unlike other parents who don't understand anything their child says, these two seem to pamper me, but not as aggressively as Monigami. I still don't get to do anything I want without doing my homework, but other than that they're with me to the very end.

So I explained what I needed to do to confront Monigami, without mentioning all that Phantom Thief stuff going on, and then my dad says: "If you want to stand up to a bully, you'll have to play by their rules. Doing just that will keep you on your toes and ready for whatever curveball he throws at you."

"Now son tell us, what rules does he live by?" Where do I start? I could list so many things wrong with him, but I'll just stick with the basics... "Well mom, he sees people as donkeys, which means he thinks they're pathetic, including me. He sees his babysitters like toys to play with until they break, that means anyone who has 'potential' to get in trouble, like my new friend Hakaru if I don't do something about it. And he sees animals as prey for him to hang up on a wall. Poor lion and tiger."

"Oh my, he's tough." My dad says worried, but I wasn't done there: "And he picked on me for two years without being caught by his parents who think he's innocent." My mom and dad had a huge grudge against Monigami's family. Whenever they try to chew him out, Monigami's parents keep on denying that he's bad even though he is! My parents aren't like others, instead of blaming the child who sent them to the 'good-boy's' house, my parents got so mad at the Peroskis that they sent me to bed early while they talked about my condition.

Unfortunately, they nearly gave up until I came to them today. They knew I was up to something good, and I wasn't pulling any punches, my mom then says while feeling extra sorry for me: "Oh you poor child. What you need to do is equip yourself with the proper tools to deal with him."

"You know how you always wanted to be a pirate?" "Yeah dad, they're my most favorite thing in the world, next to whales of course!" Then my dad pulls off a pirate wink while swinging his arms around like a scurvy pirate captain! "Argh! Then buckle up me heartie, because what you need to do is be prepared!" "Yar! I can't wait to start!" I swing my arms around too as I cheered for whatever we've got planned!

Aren't my parents the greatest? They support me no matter what — except when I accidentally spill something — they have the greatest advice, and even though some of it may be a little over the top, they know what's best for me. That's what makes my parents much more different from most regular parents, they seem to know what I'm doing is better, and they think the best way to get me out of trouble is by letting me do what I think is best. It's way simpler than just that y'know, mostly because my parents are still mad at the Peroskis for whatever they did to offend them.

My school may be off, but Hakaru and Jin'ichi still have their school to go to and Akiyo has a business to run. It's up to me and my supporters to beat the bully at his own game! My dad was in charge of making a pirate sword out of the stick I had and a couple of metals, my mom created the pirate cannon out of paper, and I took out my old pirate costume and put on the belt, the jeans, the black pirate circle-shaped eye patch, and a pirate hat! But I added my own logo to the hat, it was a mask with a cape on it looking into the distance. This logo will be our symbol of hope, and it'll strike fear into the hearts of our foes! As soon as we got together, we forged a plan at the table using these very objects.

"If this bully of yours is going to pick on your girlfriend, he'd better learn how fierce you really are." "She's not my girlfriend, she's just a lady dad." I say embarrassed of myself.

"I'm so happy you are finally becoming the tough man I knew you would be. Ever since you were a child I saw great potential in you, and now that you have proven yourself worthy, I can finally give you your late birthday present." "For me? Thanks, Mom!" She gave me a green box with a blue bow on it, and I sprang towards it like it was beginning to feel like Christmas!

I opened the present up and it was a treasure chest unlike any other. It was a backpack treasure chest that'll hold my stuff! I got so happy right there, I'm naturally happy by everything good that happens to be, it felt just like a second birthday! I hugged and kissed my family goodbye as I went to deal with a bully! But I won't do that yet, oh no, now's the time to head back into the Metaverse! If I can prove to the team that I can really cause a ruckus in Monigami's mansion, I'll be able to stand a chance against him in the real world! And who knows, maybe I might be able to awaken like the others have done before. I can't wait to head back in!

Now was the time for action, from this point onward I'll be focusing purely on the mission, and maybe if I succeed I'll be a real Phantom Thief! Hakaru told us to meet at the junkyard this time, and at about 5:30 PM, we all gathered around as Jin'ichi got out of detention and met with us. I talked to the others about the plan, and did my best to get them fired up.

"Okay. Hakaru how many more days till Monigami visits you?" "I estimate about six days or something…" Hakaru says a bit nervously, we gave his Cognitive self a charm that renders them invincible, so Monigami can't wait to break him now. I won't allow that to happen!

"Akiyo, how's your business coming along?" "I sold five charms, gave two palm readings, and made two extras in my spare time." Akiyo says calmly, her business is pretty nice, especially since she doesn't have any school. I wished I wouldn't have school because of a job.

"Jin'ichi, is the liger okay?" "He's fine bro, but why are you so serious all of a sudden?" Jin'ichi smiled, he's always the one who goes about life without a care. I wanna be like him, tough, rebellious, and a Phantom Thief! I answer Jin'ichi's question: "Because I have a secret weapon, but before I show it off, let's go into the Metaverse!" I shouted confidently before Hakaru stopped me for some reason.

"Hey! Wait Takeyoshi! We can't just go in there immediately like we used to." "Yeah, now that Naruki is on our side, we can't bring him to the usual alleyway without raising suspicion." Akiyo is right, we have a real life liger now, which is cool, but that really limits our options for entering Monigami's mansion. Jin'ichi smiles and then says: "I'd figured you guys would be like that, which is why I have something of my own to show off…" Ooh, what could it be?

Jin'ichi led us to what appears to be a truck load of junk surrounding something, but what? He opened a sliding door jammed into the pile, and he signaled us to follow him through the stuff. "It's right through here guys, this'll make us even with the Phantom Thieves for sure." Jin'ichi confidently shouted. We climbed only to realize Hakaru was still outside, is he cold? I'm not too sure since he's shivering.

"Hakaru, are you okay?" Akiyo asked. "I-I forgot to tell you, I'm claustrophobic… I can't follow you in there, I'll panic!" Hakaru's teeth chattered as Jin'ichi grabbed Hakaru's arm and quickly pulled him inside the passage. "It's okay Harry, I'll help you get through this. You helped me overcome my mother's words, it's only fair if I help you too. Soon enough, you'll be looking back at this moment and laugh as you find yourself walking through this without any problems."

But for now Hakaru's breath was getting bigger and bigger as he tried to stay calm while Jin'ichi was smiling at him all the way. That's so nice, I just wished Monigami was like this, which is exactly why we're going to change his mind!

When we came out the other side, we saw more junk, but it's in a huge circle. That's when I noticed a huge metal house right in the middle! There's a metal roof with a satellite dish on top, the metal walls were red, a few glass windows were around the building, and another sliding door. I was amazed at the place that was like a superhero lair, because every good hero needs a main base!

"Whoa! That is so cool!" I was amazed as heck seeing the punk make something this big! I ran around it a couple of times to see it from all angles. "You made that!?" Hakaru shouted as confused as ever. "All by yourself!?" Akiyo was just as amazed as he was.

"Yep. Turns out my assembling powers work outside the Metaverse, but like HEX said, it only lasts a short while." Jin'ichi pointed it out feeling impressed with himself.

"Whoa, how can this be?" Hakaru wondered that as Akiyo came up with another theory: "From what I understand, the 1.0 version of that app doesn't normally give power to people like us. When we awakened for the first time, that rebellious spirit sent some of its power to us in real time. So, I think the Cognitive World is more related to the human world than we realized."

"Forget how we did it, let's go inside!" I was too hyped to start exploring or new clubhouse, and Jin'ichi agrees: "I wouldn't want to keep a kid waiting." Hakaru and Akiyo followed us as Jin'ichi opened the sliding door inside.

We went inside and I already got hyped up when we saw the interior. It had movie posters and stuff at every angle, we had a working soda machine and a flat screen TV, an air freshener, and there was a small wooden table with 5 rugs that were based on us. Hakaru sat on a plain old green rug that looked a bit dusty, Jin'ichi sat on the black one with a flaming skull on it, Akiyo had the cyan one with water on it, I got a beanbag chair, and there was the giant liger, sitting on a big pet pillow. I pet the liger as we gathered together, and Jin'ichi started getting plastic cups for us.

"This is so cool! But where's the cool gizmo thingies?" I asked hoping this was like a real superhero lair. "It's a work in progress, but we do have a soda machine. Name your flavor." Jin'ichi said happily while grabbing some plastic cups from the counter.

"A real working soda machine? You really have thought of everything! I'll have orange soda!" Hakaru likes oranges. "I shall take a dose of lemonade." Akiyo loves lemons. "Strawberry!" I love strawberries! "And I'll take some grape soda." And Jin'ichi likes grapes! It's a perfect recipe for fun!

He passed the cups around and gave the liger some milk he bought at the store. As far as I can tell this cat was supposed to be talking, but apparently he wasn't. I didn't mind though, I'm hanging with my best friends in the clubhouse drinking strawberry soda!

"Wow. That was good, the soda seems new, how'd you get it?" Hakaru asks Jin'ichi. "My dad got the supplies for me and boy he was happy that I've taken an interest in making machines." Jin'ichi felt pretty cool right now with his big stinking lair, I couldn't imagine him as the ruthless man Hakaru told me about because of his unique charm.

"Great job Jin'ichi, now we can use this as our main headquarters." Akiyo says proudly before Hakaru brings up the main issue: "Are you guys forgetting that we still need to get inside Mementos Lane? How are we going to get to a gas station from here?" "Don't worry about it Harry. The junkyard isn't that far away from the alleyway HEX is in, so maybe by default we'll just go straight to the gas station…" "Wait! Let me show you guys something first before we go! Close your eyes…" They did as it was finally time to reveal my own Phantom Thief attire!

I grabbed the stuff out of my treasure chest backpack, I put on my pirate jacket, my jeans, and my special pirate hat, I switched the regular eye patch for a pirate eye patch and I brought out my sword-stick and my origami cannon. I even had practice speaking like a pirate during a costume party I've been to during first grade.

"Yar! You guys may look!" I said in my pirate accident. They opened their eyes to see me in a stunning pirate outfit! Hakaru was obviously surprised at my change of clothing and I even came up with a special code-name for myself too!

"Whoa! Takeyoshi!?" "Argh! You mean Scalawag? I'm gonna steal Monigami's booty!" I said with all of my pirate might! Jin'ichi smiled at my attire while Akiyo was just in love with my appearance. "Damn, you came prepared." "Aw… aren't you the cutest Phantom Thief?" She wanted to pinch my cheeks, but she couldn't because of her pacifism thingy.

"That's a nice hat you've got there, I especially liked the logo." Hakaru said while impressed with my handy work, I blushed a bit as my voice sounded normal for a bit…

"Thanks guys! My parents don't know I'm a Phantom Thief, but they helped me make equipment to stand up to Monigami." I revealed the sword and paper cannon to the crew and Hakaru was suddenly a little nervous.

"Is that a real metal stick sword?" "Argh! You got that right matey!" I swung it around a few practice swings and Jin'ichi just looked at me and smiled like he knew that feeling of aggression anywhere. "Damn. You really want to beat the shit out of Monigami don't you?"

My response? "Exactly! I'm not gonna stand around and do nothing anymore! I've been practicing ever since we learned of this place! And if this psycho thinks he could pull that kind of poop on me again, I'll slice him to pieces!" I said really mad as I swung the sword around like a powerful child! This scared the pants off of Hakaru as he began to shiver!

"Whoa! Don't swing that at me! Let's just go already Jin'ichi!" "Sure thing Harry." Jin'ichi smiles as Akiyo was still a bit adored by my costume.

Jin'ichi pressed the button on his phone, and then we made our grand entrance into Mementos Lane's gas station. It sure looks like a gas station alright, complete with a highway right next to it. From the red gas pumps, to the red walls, and the red cement roads. Wow, this place really likes the color red! Hakaru, Jin'ichi, and Akiyo once again became Hero, Gremlin and Siren! And look at the liger, he's standing on two legs and he looks more buff than those strong people my father sees in action movies!

"Whoa… it's just like the pictures you showed me Hero, this place looks amazing!" "I think this place needs a fresh coat of paint." Said the… liger!? "Oh wow! A walking and talking liger! You look so strong!" "Call me Naruki. Now I don't mean to brag, but I am a pretty tough guy. On the other hand, look at yourself kid, you look even more scurvy than you were before." "I do?"

I looked into the glass window and realized my pirate costume became ten times more real! I had pirate boots, more of that brown pirate leather, holy jeans, a gold baby tooth, a pirate hat that looks like a captain, and everything I had looked like stuff real pirates use!

Unfortunately I didn't exactly get a mask yet, but my sword looks like something only a real swashbuckler would use! The thin metal blade and the more realistic handlebar, it felt so real, even more so than my original sticky sword! Even the paper cannon looked so real it had actual cannonballs! This felt so amazing, I didn't need a Persona to look good, at least not yet, this suit felt like a much-needed tune-up!

"Oh wow! Argh! Just wait 'till Monigami sees me now!" "And that's not even the half of it, you guys want to try the foods here? My treat." Gremlin says with a proud smirk. "But didn't we just drink stuff?" Naruki pointed out. "And besides, what if we get drunk again?" Hero was worried, but Gremlin felt sure that this was a hit-or-miss opportunity. "I keep telling you guys, no problem! We'll take some for the road, and I'll double check and see if they have alcohol in it. Now let's see what the general public loves, and then we'll go get that treasure."

I ran headfirst through the glass doors as I heard a bell ring when I went inside. The place looked packed with stuff! There's food I've never seen before on the shelves, tons of posters about places I've never been to, and at the check-out, there was a happy gas station worker lady who was looking at a TV. On the TV was a commercial about some cheesy soap opera that not even my mom watches. The personalities were exaggerated, and it almost got me hooked until the guy said that he's gay. What's a gay?

It doesn't matter what is a gay, the lady seems to be enjoying it: "Oh Anal-San, I wish I could be with you. But atlas, your show had to be canceled in favor of a trip to Subterranean-Mementos. What does he see in that place that's more important than a girl who can't stop smiling?" She was hugging the TV until it cut to some commercial about a bank, she backed off and saw Gremlin ring the bell by the counter. She appeared right in front of the bell when she heard that and then remembered that we existed...

"Welcome back to Mementos Lane, strangers from the other-side! What can I get you?" Oh I get it, she's a stranger to us like we're one to her! "Howdy madam, we were just looking for some food to take with us on the road." Gremlin said kindly. "You're in luck, we just so happen to have a child and pet discount if you are interested in some of our beginner's items. They're on shelf #1 and fridge #1, there you'll find foods that are based on what the entire human population thinks about them!"

"Whoa, the entire human population?" I was amazed by the way she said that. Mementos Lane is actually inside everyone's heads, which is so weirdly cool! "That's right! Every mind thinks alike, if everyone agrees on one thing it's manifested here, although not all of the minds are positive thinkers. Some choose to spend their life in complete boredom, which was why the Mementos subway was made. Some of those people claim they want a Palace when they go down there, but some just want to run away from their problems and lock themselves up for some reason."

I was confused about what she was talking about, but Siren seems to understand: "Is that so?" "That's right, the other-side is very important too. Without it, we wouldn't even be standing here right now. In fact, I don't even have a other-self." "Wait, then how are you alive?" Hero questioned as the girl kept smiling no matter what was thrown at her: "Oh that's easy, as long as the mass believes that I am supposed to be nice and caring, I'll exist! The shifts have been hard since I'm the only employee of the gas stations, but I'm not the only chaperone who exists in this world."

"Chaperone?" the liger questioned. "That's right, we are the Public's Cognition, willing to serve the general public without any pay or question! That bus driver you went with yesterday was also a chaperone, he represents all the bus drivers who are sick of driving people around." Just then Gremlin walks over with all kinds of food in his hands. He took five packs of different food, and five drinks from the fridge. "Yo, we'd like to take this stuff on the road."

We checked the labels of the food we got, mine was a sweet looking lollipop that 'Tastes like strawberry, but looks like cherry.' and a small strawberry drink that was 'Made from real strawberries.'. I checked the inside to make sure and it had actual juice that had bits of strawberries crushed inside, I think I'm in strawberry heaven.

"Great! That'll be ¥300 because of the discount. Have a safe trip!" Gremlin paid the lady and we were about to leave before Siren stopped us: "H-Hang on, we just consumed our liquids in the real world, I'm not so sure if there's any bathrooms in Monigami's Mansion!" Siren was a little worried about the stuff we got, but Gremlin had a simple solution: "Then we'll just go to the bathroom here first and then promise not to drink until we do find a bathroom. Hey lady, can you point us in the right direction of the bathrooms?"

"Sure, it's right in the corner of the store. It's perfectly fine if some outsiders like yourselves use our bathrooms, but don't forget to flush and wash your hands when you're done." "Thanks ma'am, I completely forgot to go when we first came in here!" We all stepped away from Hero, who was squeezing his knees together and kept his hands where his knees were squeezed, it's a definite potty emergency! "You couldn't tell us any sooner you damn coward!?" The liger was a bit mad, as Hero kelt making the motion: "I didn't know Cognitive Worlds had bathrooms until now, so I was just going to pee in the swimming pool if nothing else."

"And ruin Mother Nature's blessing upon this world!? Perish the thought!" Siren got mad when he said that too as Gremlin tried to ease the tension: "Look, as much as I'd love to see the look on Monigami's face when he finds piss in the swimming pool, I think going to the bathroom would definitely improve our performance. And besides, we all gotta go sometimes." "Okay fine, just take me to the nearest litter-box and I'll be happy." said Naruki.

The litter-box was outside behind the building, so the liger went one way, and we went another way. Siren went to the lady's room, but we had a bad feeling about the men's room. When we went inside the bathroom, it was the stinkiest sight I've ever seen! "Ew!" me and Hero shouted in unison, not even trash could compare to the grossest place ever thought up by man...

The place had mold on the walls, leaky pipes, cracks all over the place, it smells like ten thousand skunks farting at the same time, and there were all kinds of bugs in the sink, as well as a half-done bottle of that beer stuff my dad drinks at night. This wasn't just any gross bathroom, this was heck!

"Oh my God, this is so unsanitary on so many levels… I think I'm going to puke…" Hero held his stomach with his knees still crossed. "This is so stinky, I think I'd rather eat Monigami's poop than stay here for the rest of my life!" I never been this grossed out by anything until now, but Gremlin kept a straight face the whole time as he quickly embraced the disgusting bathroom with open arms.

"Heh, before you guys eat shit I think we might as well go pee here." "B-But, Jin'ichi it's so gross!" "Would you rather pee in the pool while piranhas suck your dick? Pardon my language Harry, but this place is too shity not to curse about." What does he mean by sucking a dick? I really gotta stop myself from asking all these adult questions, for now I have to prove to the others that I can pee in here! "Argh! Tis be nothing but one big poop deck, I'll tame this monster of a potty even if it kills me!"

"No! Takeyoshi, don't throw away your life! It means everything to you!" Hero was thinking this was the end of the world, but even though this bathroom growls at my very presence, she's nothing more than a stinky little child nobody wants to sit next to. I just had to befriend this stinker and get through this without any fear! In comparison to Monigami, this bathroom was much stinkier than anything Monigami has ever done! This was my ultimate test, to see if I could rebel against Monigami himself, and save the world, I must do this for their sake!

I approached one of the stalls with extreme overconfidence, I saw the toilet with it's seat flipped up and I swallowed my fears. I looked inside and found a big gaping hole where the pee would go. It was a bottomless pit, a place where no one would want to end up. I took a whiff at the stank the toilet had and I refrained myself from puking at that funky poop smell from within. As the flies flew right over my head, I began to pee into the great abyss. It felt kinda relieving to let loose what was inside me and flush down the pee through the clearly messy john.

I ran out, washed my hands with the uncomfortable dirty water in the sink and then used my mom's hand sanitizer from my treasured backpack. Gremlin finished his bathroom run first and he clapped for me after washing his hands with the stinky water. "Bravo kid! You are one brave little risk-taker, big props to you amigo!" "Thank you! Don't you need hand sanitizer?" I asked him as he spit into his dirty hands and wiped them on his jacket: "Nah, if people think I'm trash, I might as well smell like it too."

Oh man, Gremlin smells worse than he did before— but that'll show those no-good people who made fun of him! Just then, Hero left the toilet a bit woozy and very hurt in the stomach. He stuck his hand out at me and spoke with an uneasy feeling: "Give me the hand sanitizer little buddy…" "Are you okay Hero?" "What's wrong Harry, cat got your tongue?" "I don't want to talk about it, let's just get out of here before I get even more sick…" said Hero who was slowly walking towards the cashier and he started to ask her: "What the fuck was that!?"

She kept her smiling face, like she saw this coming, and said: "Oh that? That was the public opinion on the men's bathroom. People walk in and expect men to be disgusting revolting creatures in the bathrooms, which is why public bathrooms were split into two in the first place" she said all that without remorse as Hero banged his head on the counter and shouted: "But why!? Why does the public hate men going to the bathroom!?"

"I dunno Harry, maybe that's just how people see things." As soon as Gremlin says that, Siren walks out of her bathroom with a bright beautiful smile on her face. I could easily tell she had a better time than we did: "Whoa, Mrs. Siren, what happened?" She then gives us a monologue while expressing the joys of purity, I have no idea what purity has to do with toilets but I would be happy too if the toilets were as she said they were...

"I have found a beautiful sight of heaven in this ruthless world! I was hesitant at first to enter because I had a fear that the ocean in this world would suffer for my impure blessing, but to my surprise, there was nothing but a bottomless pit in the toilets. That meant it wouldn't hurt anything I put in, and what's more, the bathroom was the purest sight I've ever seen. It's clean checker floors and pure ocean water was definitely enough to make me smile."

We all stared at her with shock when she said that, but Hero just broke down in defeat: "Are you freaking kidding me!?" he was now crying for a short bit now that he has experienced a very stinky bathroom! "Lemme guess, ladies are so beautiful that their bathrooms are cute too?" Jin'ichi questioned while being completely unamused. "That's exactly right! A lady's bathroom is expected to be beautiful as their appearance, so naturally they have the cleanest bathrooms out of the two." "As I thought, thanks gas-lady."

Hero recovered after a couple of seconds of crying and then the liger came through the door, feeling mighty refreshed after his bathroom trip: "Dang, the litter-boxes here really know my size, I've really underestimated this place you guys, no wonder you guys goofed off at that big TV room." "That's great and all, but speaking of that big TV room, how are we going to get to Monigami's mansion?" Hero said trying to recover his lost sanitary state with more hand sanitizer.

Siren scratched her head before quickly pointing out: "I'm not ready to take the bus again. It's not easy getting dirty again once you've been cleaned once." "I have no idea, maybe these brochures can help us again, they disappeared when we left last time so I need to restock— what the heck? These weren't there before!" We looked and saw several of the brochures have different colors and different words and pictures on them. What does it mean? Thankfully, the lady at the counter was always willing to help...

"That's right, as the human opinion changes, so does everything else. No two bits of information will stay the same unless it's that important to the mass. If you don't want to take the bus, maybe you can read about the current trends and make it easier for you guys to figure out the best way to travel?" Now while Hero looked at the various brochures, I offered a suggestion as we walked out of the station:

"Well, maybe Naruki can help us?" I pointed to the liger, and he looked shocked that I wanted him to do something about this. "M-Me!?" "Huh. I don't see how Liger can give us a hand." Gremlin said a little clueless himself, before Hero came to a theory: "Come to think of it, HEX did tell us that the human mind can do wondrous things." "Tell me about it." Liger shrugs without a care.

"Well. If Takeyoshi's imagination is strong enough to change his sword into different objects, maybe Naruki can do the same?" Liger looks a bit nervous due to Siren's statement, and he begins to sweat: "Um guys? Where are you getting at?" I've seen this on the internet before, back when I was younger, if my analysis is correct about this…

"Argh! Liger, ye best be turning into a car!" "What!? I don't do cars! I'm more of a plane type of cat!" "Aw come on! You don't have to become just a car, you can probably turn yourself into a monster truck." I looked at Liger with hype as he looked very embarrassed of my pokey attitude.

"A-And how in the world am I supposed to turn into one!?" "I dunno, think car-y thoughts?" "I'm sorry what?" Gremlin, Liger doesn't know what a punk like you is saying, but that's not a bad idea!

"If Takeyoshi can use his mind to turn his sword into a whale, then picturing yourself as a giant truck should be no exception." "Exactly Siren! If you want to get us back to Monigami's mansion, you must become a monster truck!" Hero says with belief in Liger.

"Isn't there, y'know, another way we can do this?" "Nope. Not as far as I can tell. Now turn into a car!" I say to Liger super excited as I jump up and down. Siren brings up a very descriptive saying as I get confused while she says it: "Just picture yourself on a long winding road, watch as your rubbery spinning tires ease up on the nice cold pavement as you traverse an endless road of imagination and possibility..."

"Fine. But this'll never work just watch… grrrrrr…." Liger focused with all of his might hoping something wouldn't happen, and then all of a sudden, poof! He turned from a regular old liger into a monster truck! I sorta imagined him as a small minivan like my mother's, but look at him! He looked like a real monster truck, with his eyes as headlights, fluffy cat ears and tiger stripes, and a long lion tail in the back! Liger noticed this as he was clearly trying to get out of this.

"Whoa…" I was amazed as heck as I looked at the monster sized truck. Hero followed along as he expressed his surprise in the most questionable way: "That exactly worked!?"

"What the!? I can't move! What's going on!?" You're a monster truck now Liger, that's what going on! "Amazing. It appears the imagination factor of this place must be off the charts! Especially considering that cats turning into cars is a popular trend in this world." Siren said amazed, while I, an excited little kid, knew exactly what to do with a given opportunity...

"Yay! I want to drive the monster truck!" "What!? I'm a monster truck!? Aw crap, how do I turn back!?" "I don't know yet Naruki… but remember guys, we got a mansion to infiltrate!" Said Hero with confidence.

"I wanna drive!" "Sorry child… but regardless of your role, you can't drive until you are older." Siren tells me to my disappointment "Aw man… well then, who does know how to drive?" "I'll do it…" Gremlin answers my question without missing a beat, and this surprised Liger a bit.

"Whoa! Hold your horses! Why does this guy have to drive, at least make Hero drive, he looks safer!" "I don't know how…" Hero looks embarrassed, I can't drive either, so I feel his pain.

"Relax pal, I've once done some go-kart driving and other vehicle testing and I think this is no different." "If you say so Gremlin, in that case, I call shotgun!" Hero rushes into the truck as Siren awkwardly steps in covering her nose a bit as she then said: "I'll remember to get an air freshener later…"

"Yahoo! I get to ride a real life monster truck!" "This isn't a real truck kid, it's still Liger, so I'll be as gentle as I can." Gremlin says getting fingers used to the leather wheel as the seats started to feel comfortable.

"Um… Jin'ichi, you have absolutely no idea how these roads go don't you?" "Calm down already wild cat, I remember exactly how to get there, it's just three miles past the spiraling road." "Spiraling road!? I remember that! Only I wasn't exactly on that thing, it was a bus dude, A BUS!!!" Liger was a bit scared to put it simply, other than that he's completely enraged that he's letting someone else steer him.

"Please don't go too fast Gremlin…" "Hero, do we have a deadline to meet?" "Um, yes but…" "Thought so. Let's bounce!" Gremlin pulls off a big smirk as he begins to rev up the engine. Hero made sure his seat belt was tight while Siren started hugging me again. Aw, it's awkward but it shows just how much she cares!

Gremlin steps on the gas as I just got done buckling up. We all went super fast through the entrance and up the highway, we felt the wind in our hair as Gremlin laughed as we drove past so many road signs and other cars! Eventually we came across the loop de loops and I raised my arms in the air while cheering, as if I was on a roller coaster. Hero, Liger, and Siren screamed for their lives as Gremlin kept pushing the gas pedal to exciting speeds! We blasted towards the mansion gate but then a gate in front of it blocked it shut and Gremlin's expression turned into one of 'oh no!'

Gremlin hits the brakes as a barrier suddenly sprung up at some sort of toll-gate. We were wondering what's a big golden gate like this in front of the Palace until we saw this guy who's running the toll booth. He looked kinda dull, wearing a white outfit and a depressed frown and his eyes never, and I mean never, got any sleep.

"Um… what's this?" asked Hero. "This must be what people think of toll booth people. Boring, depressed and tired." Siren speculated the dull man as Gremlin looked a little mad about the sudden stop. "Hey! What's the big idea here!? I was in the zone and you cut me off!"

"Hold it. You guys can't enter here on your own, not without proper payment…" said the toll man with a boring tone to his voice. Liger speaks as he begins to get suspicious: "Grrr… I'd bet this guy just wants to rob us, well it's not gonna-" "Here, will ¥3000 be enough?" Hero hands over some money much to Liger's surprise: "You moron! He's not just going to take a random price!"

"That'll do, the ruler didn't exactly set up a valid price range, so I'll take anything I can." The toll guy says with a frown counting the yen. "Really? Why thank you." Siren says kindly.

"Huh. Nice work Hero, sometimes you really help us save the trouble of toll fraud." "Aw shucks. I'm just used to these kinds of roads dude." Gremlin patted Hero on the back like two good friends, but we don't have time for friendship right now, we got a job to do!

The toll guy presses a button while making an announcement through the megaphone above the booth, as unenthusiastic as humanly possible: "Welcome to the Mansion of Gluttony. Where men are jackasses and every lady is a thot." "Yeah we get it, let's go." I say a bit stubbornly to the guy. The toll guy shrugs as he opens the toll-gate and the mansion gate at the same time.

And before we knew it, we were back in the mansion. Liger then turned himself back to his big muscular self by thinking about Monigami primarily. That was so much fun, but fun won't help me defeat Monigami, not this time! Our heads were still spinning from the loop de loop, but at least no one got hurt.

"You call that gentle!?" Liger shouted after that huge acceleration. Hero looked a little carsick as he held his breath near Siren while he said: "I think I'm going to hurl again…" "N-Not on me!" Siren cried.

"Come on guys, that was fun right?" Gremlin shrugged as he looked at me all excited, but I wasn't ready to crack any smiles this time: "Yeah! But there's no time to waste, I want to change Monigami's heart so let's go!" "Whoa, someone's a little impatient today. Aren't we going to wait for the others to recover first?" Gremlin asks as I look at him with a twinkle in my eyes.

"Come on Gremlin! I can take it now that I'm like you guys!" "I don't know Takeyoshi, rushing in without a second thought is exactly what Monigami thinks we'll do…" I recognize that voice anywhere! It sounded like Hakaru, but it wasn't Hakaru, it was more like a doll speaking in someone else's voice, and it came from the bushes…

There is the main attraction of the mansion. Doll-Hakaru is a sentient Cognition-thingy who is actually nice to us, if not a little stressed. He looks like the real Hakaru, but like the rest of the dolls in that jail cell, he's doomed to be broken if we don't save him! "Doll-Hakaru, it's nice to meet you, but we've got no time to lose!" I look at Doll-Hakaru for a second and I look cautiously at the big doors immediately after. I really want to rush this because the faster we get to the end, the quicker we save our Hakaru!

Doll-Hakaru looked at the others funny as he expressed a bit of worry: "Um… is he alright?" I don't know what he's so worried about, I'm doing fine so far, luckily Gremlin took my defense: "He's just getting into the swing of things. You guys coming?" he looks at the others starting with Hero, still trying to recover from his overwhelming carsickness: "I don't feel that good, but I think I'll be fine just as long as I don't have to take that loop de loop again…"

"Okay, let's smash some heads!" Liger says as he completely recovered from his adventure on the road. "Guys wait! Monigami has learned that you have the three keys! He's ramped up security even higher since I escaped. Going inside and out isn't going to be easy this time… we need a real plan if we need to stand a chance against him." Doll-Hakaru, why are you so worried about everything?

"Yeah, but we don't know what else this mansion has to offer…" Siren said being a little troubled herself. Doll-Hakaru suddenly gets serious as he looks at the crew with a determined expression: "But I do, let me act as your personal tour guide for this place. It's the very least I can do after you saved my life, and Monigami knows I'm strong-willed so I can oppose him too! From now on, we'll all help each other change Monigami's heart. You guys supply the muscle, and I'll help you navigate the traps and obstacles in your way."

"Thanks a lot doll me. In a situation like this, we could use all the help we can get…" Hero says with great respect. He shook hands with himself, and we entered the mansion once more. This adventure is gonna be super! If we can get the treasure before Monigami gets to Hakaru, we'll complete the heist! So far this experience in Mementos was awesome!

Sure I've had my share of bumps in the road, but if stealing stuff is what it takes to be a Phantom Thief then I'll show them all how great I am! After that, I'll awaken like everyone else and be the best Phantom Thief ever! "You can count on me!" I said before I entered the mansion, and sure enough, they were going to count on me very soon..

I remember this place like the back of my hand, and what a fine hand that was! There were the bunches of statues, the huge swimming pool, and the dinner table where the boys got drunk. I took a look at the man cave, and it had the biggest darn TV in the world, just like what Hakaru showed me yesterday. I wanted to go in there and see what's on TV, but I guess my urges told me to keep pressing forward. Sorry big TV, maybe later...

We found the door at the top of the red stairs that leads further into the mansion. The red, blue and yellow keys unlocked the door as we walked down a long twisting hallway filled with sick paintings of Monigami and a sculpture or two. We were walking on the red carpet and the walls looked pretty golden for a millionaire. After about three turns, we saw a strange Shadow-Maid as we hid behind the wall. Doll-Hakaru was the first to point out her role in serving Shadow Monigami.

"A Shadow. She's blocking our path. I know this one very well, she's the one who cleans my cell, she claims I must look fresh for when you-know-who shows up to break me." "Damn that child." Gremlin says clutching his fist. "Although violence isn't the answer, I am ready to strike when ready. What do you think about this, leader?" Siren says as everyone looks at Hero, I look at him too, so I don't feel left out.

"Huh? Me? I-I always thought Gremlin was the leader!" Hero tries to deny he's the leader, but Gremlin and the crew gives him a hand: "Nope, you've been helping us this whole time Harry." "Now it's our turn to help you." says Siren calmly. "So what are you waiting for pal? Let's tear 'em apart!" says Liger, while still thinking that Hero is a coward, at least he knows that Hero is simpler than Gremlin's driving.

I threw in my two cents into the barrel and I encouraged him further: "Hero. I believe in you. The only way to save yourself is to, you know, save yourself! If we work together, we can even make Monigami pay for his crimes if we just believe in ourselves!" I say while being extra confident in my words. It worked, Hero is moved by my dashing speech, I should talk more often.

"You guys…okay, I'll engage the Shadow. You guys better help me too, I pretty much need the extra muscle from all of you." "Trust yourself, We will." Doll-Hakaru nods as Hero mentally prepares to attack…

Hero sneaks around and, with a moment of hesitation, he punches the Shadow in the backside as hard as he can! The suit and mask fell off as the Shadow took the form of a pumpkin, two creepy looking dolls, and a big honking troll. We assumed our battle positions, and the fight began! Doll-Hakaru stayed on the sidelines as he said: "You guys should be able to take down all four of them. Remember your training!"

Yuki told me I had to pay excellent attention to people's fighting styles as I try to think up my very own style for the job, so I paid attention to the crew as I watched them fight. Hero throws a few punches at the pumpkin, but dodges out of the way as the pumpkin tries attacking him. Because he's a coward, he dodges the flames thrown at him before he glows light green, shouts: "Super Power!", and then throws the pumpkin against the wall. Hero must still be scared of things, and yet he is confident enough to do what's right.

Siren and Liger take down the dolls. Liger slashes and hacks against one of them, and then he roars as he gains stripes, saber fangs while he glows orange and screams: "Super Fury!". He bites down on one finishing it off, but just when he thought it was safe, he got hit by a needle from one of the dolls which caused him to get all depressed and stuff. Never fear, Siren is here! She used one of her special charms as it glowed cyan blue while she said peacefully: "Super Charm." Liger then snapped out of it and then proceeded to punch the remaining one and knock it out!

Gremlin took down the giant troll by climbing on top of it and punching it in the face several times before his gloves got twitchy. He glowed a dark green as he laughed while shouting: "Super Assemble!", only he didn't put together anything this time, he grabbed the club with his sticky fingers and smashed it into the troll's skull! Gremlin may be a little wild, but he lets loose because this is good anger management for him, as for me… uh oh.

The pumpkin was still alive, he called on three more of his pumpkin friends. Before the others could fight, I wanted a turn. So I pointed my thumb at myself, signaling Gremlin to let me do some action! He gets the others out of the way and it's just me and the pumpkins! I focused all my energy into my sword and sliced one open on the first try!

The other Shadows got intimidated, but I won't let them escape from me! I let my trusty cannon take a shot and it was a realistic cannonball! I shot down two of them and then stabbed them both on the spot. The remaining Shadow was scared out of his mind, and he wanted mercy, but I didn't want to hear it. I shot a cannonball at its face as punishment for trying to lure me into a false sense of sorriness, but that's what Monigami does too, and the more I thought about him the more madder I got. Fortunately, the others calmed me down when they cheered on my victory.

"You did awesome Scalawag!" Hero sounded impressed, at that point, I felt proud of myself for that praise I was given as I calmed down almost instantly: "You guys were awesome too!"

"I've gotta say kid, you've got guts." Gremlin says as he pats me on the back and Siren claps for me: "You took down those four Shadows like it was nothing!" "We didn't even need our Personas to beat him anyway. They were just too easy for us." Liger said a bit cockily. "That's because the maid here is actually the weakest maid in this building." Doll-Hakaru shrugged as I smiled brighter due to the respect the team had for me!

"I couldn't have done it without any of you. Thanks a bunch! Argh! What do you say we keep searching for ye booty!" I say with a pirate attitude. "Sounds good to me, let's go gang." Gremlin then signals us to keep going as Hero says: "Yeah." with confidence.

We took a few extra turns down the fancy hallway, and then we saw a door. It needed another key, and it was unbreakable again, Gremlin tried his lock pick on it and it still wasn't unstuck. We knew that the key was in here somewhere, but we just didn't know where to look. To our right was another wall, but to the left…

That's when I saw the most frightening thing that's ever known to a kid like me. It was a giant playground tunnel maze thing. It had all sorts of colors that got mashed together in a twisted rainbow. There was no way to be sure which way leads where, and we couldn't see anyway out by default. But one thing's for certain, if the key ends up in there, I'm gonna scream.

Why was I so afraid of this playful thing? That was also Monigami's fault, he scared the dickens out of me during my first years with him. I really wanted the slide during recess, but the only way to get to it was through a 'fun' tunnel. It wasn't that fun, Monigami would often scare the pants off of me by sticking his face through the tunnel or shouting "boo!" when I try to come through. I may be prepared for everything else, but I definitely wasn't prepared for this! I held my pirate hat on my head as tight as I could, and I tried my best not to show fear, but I couldn't take it…

"Let me guess… the key is inside the tunnels?" Siren guessed. "Yes. Unfortunately for us, the hole is too small for any of us to fit. I won't be able to fit in there either, because I can't fold without injuring myself." Doll-Hakaru says to my dislike. "And in case you guys don't remember, I still have claustrophobia." said Hero shivering a bit less than I was. "Well, someone's going to go inside there!" Liger says a bit ticked off. I break the conversation before Gremlin could get a word out as I shake like a blender we have at home: "Not me! I can't do it!"

Hero found out about my fear amongst the others and he tried to cheer me up a bit: "Um… T-Takeyoshi? Are you okay? You were so brave before, this is a perfect time to use your small height..." "Nuh uh! I'm not going in there! Something might jump out at me!" I keep on shivering as Doll-Hakaru points out the obvious with a sad look on his face: "I think Takeyoshi has a serious fear of playground tunnels. He was prepared for everything but the suspense of the tunnel. That's how frightening Monigami is to him."

"Oh you poor child… I can relate to how fear gets you, but you are the only one who can fit into this tunnel." Siren hugs me a bit before I break free to look at Gremlin, maybe he knows what to do when fighting fear… "But guys, I can't do this alone! Gremlin, you're with me on this right?" And to my surprise, he looked away from me in shame and paused a bit before admitting something while trying to be encouraging:

"No. Sorry kid, but there's no other way we can get through this without you. Come on pal, you know very well that we aren't always going to be supporting you, especially with that small looking tunnel. I'd bet the only reason you became Scalawag was to impress us wasn't it?" I began to tear up as Gremlin looked at me with a comforting gaze in his eyes.

"Well it worked, but come on, giving up on a seriously obvious puzzle? That's just weak, even for you." Liger called me weak? Hey! But I'm still scared of the tunnel, so I guess being called weak now is perfectly justified. But Siren provided me with more support with a smile: "You may be on your own for this one, but that doesn't mean we won't be there in spirit to guide you…"

"Don't worry about it Takeyoshi, Monigami isn't going to pop out at you, and if he does, you have the power to stab him with the old sticky-sword." Hey, Gremlin's right, I completely forgot about my sticky-sword, it's just as ready as it was before. But I just can't waltz in there and expect myself to stand up to Monigami in the worst possible scenario, but then Hero comforted me, just as I did to him earlier...

"Takeyoshi. I just want you to know that you aren't alone. Even if we aren't exactly here to guide you through the tunnel, we'll still be with you no matter what. Overcoming this is the only hurdle you have left if you want to get over your fear of Monigami. And let's not forget the stakes if we fail, and the reason that we're fighting. Takeyoshi, if you see anything besides the key in there, then don't be afraid to fight back." The Hero brought courage and inspiration, it's just like when he got all serious when Akiyo was confused as heck, or when he heard Doll-Hakaru scared out of his mind. Combined with the confidence that he normally brings, I had to do this, even if it means getting scared!

"O-Okay… I'll try, but I won't like it…" "Do not fear Takeyoshi, if anything bad ever happens in there, just remember your friends are with you in your heart…" Siren, everyone, thank you. I just hope I know what I'm doing...

I climb into the entrance shaking in my boots, crawling inside gives me the feeling of fear as I can't predict which way something will pop out at me. The tunnel itself wasn't helping me calm down, but I had to do this for Hakaru and Jin'ichi and everyone! But still, it feels so cold and lonely in here, I've never been through a tunnel this long before. I had to carefully look down each twist and turn that I took, and aside from a few snakes in here, which I disposed of quickly, Monigami didn't appear or even try to scare me.

The more snakes that appeared, the faster I went, but I remember to stop whenever I take a turn. I was about to turn around and run for my life, but I've come too far to be a chicken now! I can't just abandon this job, everyone has been helping me this whole time. It's just like Akiyo said, they help me, and I'll help them! If Hakaru could overcome his cowardly instincts, so can I!

Eventually, I stopped being afraid of the consequences, my teeth stopped chattering as I kept reminding myself that my friends are waiting for me on the outside. I kept crawling through as fast I could as my tears of sadness slowly turned into fists of fury.

I sliced up more and more snakes as I used trial and error to figure out which path to take. It felt like thirty minutes since I first entered this thing, but I'm not complaining anymore. My fear just won't let me be unless I conquer it myself, and conquer it I did! All of a sudden, I wasn't afraid of the tunnel anymore. I felt like I could finally get through it without anything unexpected. I see the light, I'm almost done, but what if it's Monigami?

Not to worry, I have the potential to knock him down! I shot my cannon straight ahead to make sure it hurt something and sure enough, it hit a cardboard cutout of Monigami making that face he always makes whenever he scares me. It was at this very moment that I had nothing to worry about, even if this was a scary experience for me, I actually didn't cry like a baby this time! I exited the tube only to find a ball pit on my way out, and it looks like I found a snake made of different colored dodge balls with eyes shaped like footballs!

It also had Junko's beautiful red long hairdo! The nerve of that guy! He thinks he could picture Hakaru's sister and my girlfriend like a snake!? I'm not afraid of it, it just made me a little hesitant when attempting to approach it. It has the key in its mouth, but I wasn't scared of it, it just reminded me how much Monigami loves his snakes, ever since he tried to intimate me with a plastic one. I also heard him call Junko a snake one time for escaping his wrath!

And reminding myself of those memories led to me focusing all of my anger onto the snake! It tried to attack by spitting out various types of balls, but by using my sword as a baseball bat, I knocked just about every ball back into its mouth. I shot a cannonball into its already stuffed mouth, and it caused it to choke on all the balls it ate. It disappeared as I grabbed the purple key. What I did was incredible, if only the others could see me now! But I must not let my guard down, I've got a door to unlock!

There was a one-way exit, but I heard nothing on the other side, as if something's gone wrong. I suspected my friends were in trouble, so I placed my sword into the cannon and pounded it as I used my imagination to start to change the sword into the whale! Before it was able to transform, the sword blasted out of my cannon and out the exit, I checked outside as I saw my friends struggling with a couple of Shadows who found them while I was inside.

The sword turned into the whale just in the nick of time! It fell on top of Hero's arms, and he used his super powers to lift it up high! Liger helped by climbing up on top and then turned into the monster truck form for extra weight. Everyone got out of the way as every Shadow was crushed along with Shadow Monigami, who just barely survived the squash.

Everyone was happy that I made my first dramatic entrance as they cheered, but I tuned them out as I still had to deal with Shadow Monigami. The guy was asking to be hurt by me, but I think I'll give him time to sink in how low he is compared to me. He has made me suffer for so long, I couldn't stand another day with this jerk, this injustice must end right now!

I approached him, but not too close, I turned the whale back into the sword as Shadow Monigami tried to intimate me with his anger and bad words. I look at him with a cold look on my face, everything that once scared me about him now made me twice as mad at him for making me suffer every dang day…

"You goddamn swine… you don't even know what the fuck you're doing do you? I am the most powerful child in the world, my parents would never believe a jackass like you! You are nothing but a little squirt to me, why should I be scared of you!?" he was clearly looking down on me, but I wasn't scared, far from it actually...

"I see… so your real self doesn't know that I'm not his little teapot anymore. Just you wait… I'll show you I'm not a donkey. You'd better not mess with Junko, she's too good to be tormented by the likes of you!" I talked back to Shadow Monigani like it was nothing. I definitely wasn't able to do that before, but I couldn't take his smug face anymore…

Hero noticed what I was talking about, and he was shocked to hear about his sister in trouble: "Wait, Junko!?" "Aw fuck you! If you really care about her so fucking much, I'll personally ruin her stupid body for you! Guards! Stop these loathsome pests!" Shadow Monigami shouted as more Shadows started appearing by the dozen. I was going to take them all on, but Akiyo grabbed me as she panicked.

We unlocked the door and ran down the hallway as Doll-Hakaru signaled us to enter a door on the right to escape, but for some reason Doll-Hakaru couldn't enter which forced him to run away. We looked at the room before us and it had a wooden table with equally wooden chairs. The room looked golden and white like the rest of the mansion, but I saw a bunch of money and toys on the floor. And to make it more weird, it kept phasing in and out of his bathroom, which confused everyone but me. Mostly because I had a one track mind right now, a track to take care of Monigami once and for all...

"Um, where exactly are we?" Liger was confused. "Perhaps that this must be the breach between reality and the cognitive mind. The Shadows can't come after us because this room feels safe enough to keep them away." Siren felt with her heart that there were no monsters in here, but Hero felt worried about himself, literally: "But what about my doppelgänger? We have to go back for him!"

I had to get back to the real world on the double, Junko might be in trouble, and seeing that Doll-Hakaru still has protection, we MUST get back to the real world in time! "Relax guys. He's invincible, he can take care of himself. What we really need to worry about is your sister Hero! She needs our help!" I think I got Hero a bit more frightened, but that's just his brotherly instincts triggering: "Oh crap you're right! We need to get back to the real world!"

"Goddamn, if a lady like her gets picked on by someone that twisted, she might end up twisted herself…" Gremlin says a little frustrated as Siren was quick to worry too: "B-But how do we get out with Liger on our side?"

"It gets extra awkward if we suddenly appear in the bathroom." Liger said a bit embarrassed as I looked at Gremlin's phone, one of our tickets inside: "Maybe there's another magic button here somewhere? Let me see that Gremlin…"

I looked around looking for a button that brings us back, but I accidentally closed the app by sliding it off the screen. We suddenly entered that ripple effect as we were suddenly back in our clubhouse. Maybe closing the app manually is what it takes to end up in the exact place we went in. It's just like when I save my game, we made our progress sure, but by forcing it to close we ended up in the main hub world. Just then, I heard my friends Yuki and Reo calling for me. The crew ran out of the junkyard, except for Naruki, and found them nearly out of breath.

"Takeyoshi, are we glad to see you!" Yuki says a little panicked. "What's going on?" I asked. "It's Junko! Monigami is threatening to go after you if she doesn't go with him into the alleyway near school!" Reo says scared out of his mind as Jin'ichi makes another fist: "Goddamn it…" Hakaru's brotherly instincts tapped in and he got all steamed up, just like I was!

"Oh that little brat is going to pay!" Hakaru, I couldn't agree more! But, if any of them tried to hurt Monigami, it wouldn't be right! If teens were picking on young kids, especially ones that were 'innocent', they'll be no better than those rotten adults they keep telling me about! With no other choice left in my heart, it's up to me to handle this responsibly! "No. Let me handle this Hakaru…" as usual Hakaru is surprised, he's concerned for me. But this isn't the best time to worry about me, especially since he was the one all worked up, what's wrong now? "W-What!? B-But you can't…"

"I can't do what? I took down several Shadows without your help, I have been training to get stronger than Monigami ever since we first got there, and you're telling me I can't fight him now!?" I looked at the crew with anger in my eye as Akiyo was a little nervous about me, why was everyone worried about me!? "No child! It's just that we can't let you fight him directly without our help!"

"You guys said it yourself, you won't always be there to help me, I know you want to help me, but this is personal… if you guys come with me, that'll make him realize it's your fault that I'm stronger than him, and then he won't be as scared, and then he'll target all of you!" I cleared my point as even Jin'ichi was even worried about me, stop worrying already, I can do this!

"Look kid, I think I might have given you too much confidence, now can we just calm down and think this thro-" I interrupt Jin'ichi as I got so mad, I might explode! "I have had enough of this kid's baloney! Any other time I try to stand up to him, he just attempts to pin the blame on me! This is an opportunity I can't miss! Let's go Reo and Yuki!" They nod as the others were trying to stop me, but nothing can stop me from claiming my vengeance…

"W-Wait!" "Harry, we need to follow them in case anything bad happens to Takeyoshi…" Hakaru, Jin'ichi, and Akiyo ran after us as I kept powering myself with rage. Enough rage to gain a Persona, enough rage to rebel, enough rage to seek my revenge!!!

I run for my dear life towards the alleyway near my school, and Monigami is already picking on her! He says he wants ¥5000 huh? She doesn't have that kind of money, so he'll start to abuse her for it, I'm not gonna let him lay a single finger on her! I don't care if my tools are fake in this world, I just need to tell him clearly that I am not a frickin donkey! I ran up to him at full speed with pure anger in my eye as Monigami smirks as if I'm just toying with him, I'll show you who's toying with whom!!!

"Aw, is the little pirate ups-" Shut up dang it!!!! I kicked him square in the gut, he fell over as he looked at me with a rage all his own. I fired my origami cannon and it made a loud noise while shooting confetti that caused him to cover his ears. After that, I jumped on his belly while pinning his arms down with my own so he won't escape his punishment.

"J-Just who do you th-" "I don't wanna hear another word out of you Monigami…" I interrupted him again, I didn't want him to speak to me in that agonizing tone, especially after I've been driven crazy by it after all these years!

I pull out my sword stick, made from real metal and wood, and I point it at him. He chuckles a bit before saying: "And just what do you plan on doing with that piece of plas-". I proved to him it wasn't plastic. I dragged the sword slowly while he was getting the words out, to savor the pain, across his cheek and his smirk slowly turned into one of despair as I made a 5-inch scar across his face. That felt satisfying as heck, I've never seen him pull off that face before, but I can't let my guard down. What if he tries to make me think that he's scared only for him to reveal that he tells his parents. The only way I could stop him is by hammering the same fear I felt for two stinking years into his dumb brain...

"I know everything that you did. You ruined the lives of so many people, you tortured both man and the animal kingdom, you played a part in ruining my friend Jin'ichi's life, and now you want to pick on a girl!? Look at yourself, you think you're so strong, but you're just a fat ungrateful child who treats others like trash for absolutely no reason! You see this eye patch!? I lost my eye due to a train crash, and let me tell you it was painful!! I still remember the glass hitting my eye that day, the blood that flowed out from it, the look on the conductor's face that gave me nightmares for weeks! And yet, you made fun of it because I'm just nothing but a scrub to you!?"

"I know what you're planning to do with Hakaru too! You're going to break him by becoming his babysitter weren't you!? And now you're picking on a girl, but not just any girl, the most precious girl I've ever met. Let me ask you something. Do you think human lives are free? You think that humans can be replaced!? Well you're completely wrong! No one, and I mean no one, can replace my friends! I care about them too much to just replace them! And now look where that's gotten you! I've had to put up with your poop for the last two years of my life! Everyday, I get picked on just to satisfy your cruel taste! At school, in public, and even in alleyways like this one, I was never safe from your wrath every time I wasn't with my parents!"

"But my friends taught me to be tough… without them, I probably wouldn't be here trying to slice your throat out… Hakaru may be a coward, but even he has his limits to how cowardly he is! He hates himself for being a coward because he couldn't do anything to stop his friend from disappearing! Jin'ichi was picked on by everyone in his school, and it's because of you that his mother went cuckoo! As far as I can tell, you're the reason he's so tough! Akiyo loves the sea, but you peed in it! And you just watched as Naruki's parents just up and died! And me? I'm just a big stinky donkey to you, am I!?"

He's got an expression of fear going on, I'm starting to get to his stupid little head. If he thinks he'll pick on me any longer, he won't even know that he's screwed... I was about to let him go before I noticed something in one of his pockets. It was some sort of voice recorder, it was turned on. Seriously!? Even now he thinks he's dominant!? He's going to use that to get me expelled!! If he seriously thinks I'm that stupid for not noticing it, then he's got another thing coming! More specifically, another helping of Takeyoshi's blade! Seeing something like this started to anger me so much that I grabbed his short head of hair and pointed the sword at him!

"What is this!? Tell me or I'll slice your head off!" "Y-You're bluffing aren't you…?" I wasn't going to let him get away from me anymore, I felt my remaining eye twitch as Monigami began to get even more scared of my cowardliness turned courageous… "Okay okay! I was going to record Junko's screams of terror, mostly because I thought a girl's scream would put me to sleep, but now that you've shown up I figured the school hearing you talk to me like this would sur-" I punched him so hard that he fell on the floor again.

I'm at my wit's end with him, he thinks he could just record me being this cruel to him and then frame me for something I don't deserve!? Monigami still thinks I'm a piece of trash, and yet he doesn't mind hearing screaming while he laughs about it!? He deserves everything that's coming to him, and I'm not gonna let a voice recorder stop me! I stabbed the voice recorder several times as I screamed, but not too loud so other people can't hear me. Monigami is suddenly shaking in his boots, or maybe this is his plan to cry his heart out to his mama and sue my parents!? I need to let him know how much trouble he's in! I lean in close as I continue to lash out on him...

"You think you're so smart, don't you? If I leave you alone, you'll tell your parents about this, will you? Well… open your ears and listen up because this won't be the last time you see this sword! I'll let you go for now, but if you tell your parents about this, if you tell the school about this, or if you get my family and friends involved in your trouble-making ways one more time, the next time we meet, it'll be the last time you'll ever see me."

"I'll carry this sword around in my backpack 24/7 from now on. If you screw over someone else one more time, I'll plunge this sword so far down your throat you'll never have any time to think about what you did wrong. And don't start with the crocodile tears, they don't work on everyone you know… I'm just so sick of all of your nonsense that I can't help but feel this way. Are you seriously thinking of a way to get me in trouble for saying those things...? Too bad. The moment I get in trouble, I don't care what happens to me. The next time I see your REAL face, I'll cut it in two. Now, never bother me, or my friends, ever again, or else…"

I kept staring at him for a moment or two, to really sink in that fear he once gave me. Monigami was shivering in place like a scared little rat, but I'm not going to fall for it that easy. Even when he was crying, he was still loads of trouble, I couldn't let him go now or else he'll definitely tell his parents! I've seen how they are, anything that goes wrong with him definitely makes them lash out against my own parents like complete cuckoo birds.

Eventually, his crying and sniffing was beginning to annoy me. The last time he did this was to frame me for hurting him, but now it's just absolutely pathetic. He should've thought up of a comeback by now, but I've been threatening him for the past few minutes and he doesn't seem to be responding. He's still crying because he thinks that if he does, he'll screw me over. Unfortunately, I got so tired of the crying that I decided to let him go and let him decide whether he wants to live or die...

I finally got off of Monigami, he runs off in tears, fake tears, as Junko hugs me. My friends cheered for me as I've finally got even with him, at least for now. But I can't say I'm satisfied, oh no, we still got a job to do. Even after my talk with him, I'm certain he's going to pull stuff like this again. When he does, I'll be ready for him. I watched a lot of adult action movies at night as part of my training, and it looks like all of it paid off. Junko looked so happy, so I smiled too, just to keep her spirits up.

"Thanks for saving me, you're my hero." Junko hugged me as Yuki and Reo cheered for me. They were the first who said I couldn't stand up to him, and when I did, their minds were blown. "You actually talked some sense into Monigami!" Yuki said while clapping cheerfully. "No one has ever done that to him before! You were awesome!" Reo shouted with glee. I smiled as proud as I could as I couldn't hog all the credit to myself. I didn't want everyone to feel left out, so I said: "I had a little help. Isn't that right guys?"

I looked at my team, but they didn't look too happy that I knocked some sense into that bully. They actually looked scared of me? Hakaru is shivering, Jin'ichi bit his lip and Akiyo put her hands to her mouth, they're scared of what I've become. But why? Why are they suddenly afraid of me? I learned everything they taught me, what's wrong now?

"Um. Guys…?" I spotted Akiyo who looked like she saw a ghost. "For a moment… you were… c-corrupt." Corrupt, me? I don't think I was being evil, this stuff was perfectly safe as long as it was Monigami. Hakaru tried to crack a smile and poke some fun at the way I acted, but he was just as awkward as ever: "Um… at least he'll have no trouble in the mansion now… am I right…?"

But most surprising of all was Jin'ichi, he was shaking a bit, and underneath the shades, he was trying to stay calm. But after seeing me lash out like he does regularly, he can't help but break his tough guy personality. "You… you really have changed haven't you…?" I did, didn't I? You guys helped you know, you shouldn't be afraid of me after teaching that bully his place!

"Big bro!? You taught him how to save me?" Junko says as she approaches her brother with surprised looks on both of their faces. "Uh… Y-Yeah, sure, that's it." Hakaru says a bit awkwardly, Junko jumped up and down as she was still optimistic as ever: "Wowie! Thank you so much Hakaru! You're truly a superhero in my heart!"

Junko then hugs Hakaru as she laughs away the pain, Hakaru could only help but laugh awkwardly. Jin'ichi and Akiyo were completely shocked by this outcome, they've probably never seen me like this before. Yuki and Reo wanted me to celebrate with ice cream, I told them I'll be right there as I face Jin'ichi and Akiyo like a new man. I made them proud didn't I? They must be so shocked that I had all the potential, that they can't seem to move.

"Takeyoshi… you really didn't have to go after Monigami like that… seriously..." Jin'ichi says a bit nervous. "W-We could've s-stopped him f-for you… what is happening to my precious child…?" Akiyo was shivering all over the place. I felt myself smiling as I explained the reason why I chose to fight him. Maybe that'll make them realize I'm a hero...

"Isn't that obvious? All I have to do is get mad, and I get a super power right? And whatever happens in the real world affects the other side too right? The only way to keep you all safe was to take on his real self. After all… if the real person takes a hint and stops bullying others… Then I'd bet his Palace must be crumbling to pieces by now… You can thank me for that. I really have changed for the better. And it's all thanks to you guys."

I must've creeped them out a bit, but who cares? That bully was trying to destroy our lives, the only way this was going to work is if we either take his heart, or punish the real self for crimes unspeakable. I chose the latter because it was faster than say stealing pirate booty! What really drove me to do this? My parents wanted me to defeat Monigami, at first I thought they were supplying me for his Palace, but then I had to go through the tunnel. Being in there just reminded me of all the terrible things he did to me, it was driving me up the wall as I couldn't take any more of his madness.

But, if something as simple as making Doll-Hakaru invincible was enough to change him, then giving the real Monigami a piece of my mind would surely do something. If it did, then I'll truly become the very hero Hakaru, Jin'ichi and my friends wanted me to be! Everyone will be so proud of me! But, little did I know, HEX saw the whole thing as he looked at his own cell phone and talked to himself. I don't exactly know what he said, but I'm sure whatever it is, it'll spell doom for Shadow Monigami and his precious mansion! Watch out world, there's a new Phantom Thief in town!

"Oh you did change for the better Takeyoshi. Monigami doesn't think of you as a jackass anymore. No. He thinks of you as a monster. A monster who is blinded by his delusion to help everyone in need, without even realizing that you are causing destruction beyond repair. If anything, the ass has become the bastard Monigami needed, the very being that rebels too far for him to handle. And because of you, his Palace is going to spiral out of control. Getting the treasure will no longer be a walk in the park for you. You are about to find out what happens if a Palace ruler thinks of you as a savage uncontrollable monster…"

"A Palace ruler views people like how they see it. Kamoshida viewed his subjects like prisoners, Monigami has viewed you all as jackasses. But nobody has scared a Palace ruler to death of someone, and there's a good reason for that. Scalawag… I hope you're happy. Because whatever happens next, you wouldn't want to be a part of it. But that doesn't mean…"

"You ARE a part of it…"


	6. C1 (Hakaru II): A Labyrinth of Gluttony

My life has always been a series of ups and downs, but none can compare to the ups and downs of becoming heroes you didn't even know existed. After Kamoshida confessed to his crimes on the second of May, on that very same day I met HEX for the first time. I wasn't entirely sure if I was going to be ready for what's to come, but once I awakened to my Persona, everything changed about me. All of a sudden, I was becoming braver than before, where I originally couldn't throw a punch that hard before, I was now able to send Shadows flying instantly.

I also had to confront my own fear of being a coward back at the jail house where my doll version was. Even though I honestly wanted to run away, because I heard my own voice that sounded so scared, and the fact that even Jin'ichi seemed afraid of this decision, made it clear that I had to help Jin'ichi become a better person. The same applies to everyone else who joined the little squad that started off as a simple adventure. Akiyo was at first scared of this corruption stuff, but because me and Jin'ichi accidentally got drunk on alcoholic foods, we weren't there to see her awakening. But we still supported her to become a better person, even if she were to run and scream.

The liger we got honestly shocked me, but after sticking around with him for quite a while, we knew that he was more than just some wild cat. He just wanted to stop being treated like a pampered pet. Now that he's hanging with Jin'ichi at the clubhouse he made, Jin'ichi seems to be taking great care of him. We're going to need him if we have to get from place to place now, mostly since he recently learned how to turn into a monster truck.

But then there's Takeyoshi… oh boy did we mess him up. He started as our unofficial member, but then he started to adapt to his surroundings. He's been on 4 missions with us so far, and every time he seems to bring something new to the table. The second time we came there he brought his sticky-sword, which was brought out by his imagination. The third he taught himself how to change his sword into various things like a whale and a baby elephant. The fourth time he dressed up like true Phantom Thieves do, but at the cost of his sanity…

We did our best to encourage him to be more than just a child, but he took that confidence too far one day. It was a Friday, only a couple of days since Kamoshida confessed his guilt, and Takeyoshi was in a mood. When we came back from the Metaverse that day, we heard that my sister Junko was going to get bullied by Monigami Peroski, our main target, and I'm his future babysitter!

We knew that this was a terrible fate, because whenever Monigami comes to be taken care of, he either drives their babysitters mad or makes it look like they've gone mad. For some delusional reason, he has gotten away with this for quite a long time. And if I became his next babysitter, then the secondary league of Phantom Thieves will be doomed!

I wasn't about to let him get away with this, my big brotherly instincts were going wild as I planned to just tell my dad that she's getting picked on, but Takeyoshi and a couple of his friends insisted that they were going to stop him. We chased them into an alleyway near Junko's school, and when we got there, oh man you wouldn't want to know what was in that child's head. We watched as Takeyoshi took out all of his rage on the real Monigami. When he was through, he scared the pants off of Monigami, and he ran out of the alleyway. His friends cheered for them as they celebrated his victory, my sister is even proud of him and, to an extent, me for supporting him. I appreciate that everyone's happy, but what does that mean for Monigami…?

Jin'ichi and Akiyo were clearly scared too, which wasn't a good sign as Jin'ichi never gets scared by anything, well except the 'doll incident' but that's beside the point. The point is, there was something clearly wrong with Takeyoshi, and with only a few days left before I become Monigami's babysitter, we've got to figure out what's going on inside the bully's head after what the kid did. I also got a text from HEX in the morning, which was weird because he never texts me in the morning. The message said something even more cryptic than ever…

"The child. He's quite the handful isn't he? Perhaps you probably shouldn't have given him the impression of senseless violence. To you, it felt like a new man, but to him? He felt as if he could use his anger as a weapon, that's not the point of the awakenings. And now, you'll never be able to steal the treasure. How ironic; the pupil has become the equivalent of a man-child who refused to accept peace from their master. Such a pity, I truly thought he was a valuable asset to the Phantom Thieves, even Skull wouldn't lash out that hard against a Palace Ruler."

That's all he wrote. I felt a huge hole in my stomach was forming, I never thought HEX would be this upset about Takeyoshi's madness. It doesn't matter if he said it aloud, this message was all it took to picture it in my head. I knew I had to do something about the kid or else something even worse might happen! I originally thought a kid would be a bad idea because he was too weak, but here I was, shivering and staring at my phone because of a kid with a massive war-trauma!

"Big bro, you're gonna be late for school!" My sister called to me from the door, with no other choice but to abide by society's rules once more, I got out of bed, put on my school clothes and then went to school where nothing remotely interesting happened that day.

We gathered in the clubhouse in the huge junkyard at about 5:30 PM as usual, Jin'ichi managed to distract Takeyoshi by telling him we might need some less expensive snacks at the store. This gave us plenty of time to talk about Takeyoshi's dilemma with Naruki involved. We gathered around the clubhouse table as we sat down to discuss the problem at hand. Naruki was just as surprised as we were when we described that sudden crazed look on Takeyoshi's face…

"Whoa, that kid really did beat the crap out of Monigami. I know it's supposed to be a bad thing, but wasn't that what you guys were trying to accomplish?" asked Naruki. I was still trying to recover from yesterday as I expressed my concern: "Yeah but not like this! Physical violence is bad enough on its own, but the poor kid was scared out of his mind!"

"Harry, are we talking about Takeyoshi, or Monigami?" Jin'ichi asked with a conflicting expression. "Both apparently. Takeyoshi was scared of Monigami, but ever since he went through that play tunnel he seems to have lost his own mind." I tried to conclude.

Akiyo feels a bit of regret signaled by her gripping her arms around her body. "Yes… perhaps we might've motivated Takeyoshi too much. In the brief moments where he was violent, he had become corrupt, that was a feeling I never wanted to come from Takeyoshi. And now that Monigami fears Takeyoshi, instead of the other way around, who knows what kind of mental effects it'll have on him..."

"Well. Can't we just not invite him to the mansion this time? I think he's been through quite enough." Naruki suggested. Unfortunately, Jin'ichi, like it or not, relies on child equality. If a child is left out of anything adults do, that only makes them want it more. The reason he recruited Takeyoshi in the first place was for him not to feel left out, and right now? It's no exception as Jin'ichi formed a fist in complete disagreement: "And what, upset him? No way are we leaving him out of the pack even after what he did! He's still that loveable kid I've come to know, aren't you afraid he might go too far again?"

Akiyo got more worried as she expressed her fears for the child: "But Jin'ichi, you've seen how aggressive Takeyoshi has gotten. If we take him back in now, that other Monigami would be also scared of Takeyoshi, and then Takeyoshi might even end up killing him!" Naruki wasn't fearful like the rest of us and he took Akiyo's side: "She makes a good point dudes, and in case you don't remember correctly, killing Shadow Monigami will make us no different from the ones behind the mental-shutdowns. I sure as hell don't want to be on the wrong side of the law…"

I took Jin'ichi's side because I knew Takeyoshi wasn't a bad kid, he just took things too far, that's all: "No, Jin'ichi's right! We can't just say no after everything he's been through, that's like taking away candy from a baby after he's been sucking it for an hour."

Jin'ichi smiled his usual punky smile at me, after saying something like that I felt sure of myself that this was the right thing. "Well said Harry, you really are the kind of guy who doesn't leave people behind. And you guys shouldn't take something from a kid after he's already started it. Just have a little faith you guys, we'll set the kid straight in no time!" Akiyo looked away from us in a conflicted matter, she wanted to admit that we could save Takeyoshi, but her sense of mortality makes it hard for her to trust people that much…

"W-Well, I don't know…" Naruki then talked again after drinking a bit of his milk: "Do you really think we can un-traumatize a kid? The guy's a rabid lunatic , we can't just keep him like this. Did you guys see the size of that whale?"

"Yep. It sure was a big one alright." Jin'ichi says that like it's a good thing, I like that we're getting a bit off-topic but Akiyo then addresses the issue: "Yes, I appreciate the size of the aquatic mammal, but that's not the problem! The problem is, how are we going to stop Takeyoshi from potentially throwing off our main mission?"

"We'll find out when we get there, but for now… look." Jin'ichi points outside as Takeyoshi lets himself into the clubhouse. I don't know, usually when I'm in the same room as a child it makes me warm and comfortable. Not this time, I am sitting next to the child who has been mentally hurt by the scars of war. It just gives me the creeps! I'm just shaking all over the place now that this dramatic tension has been placed...

"Hi guys! I got the snacks. Are we ready to go?" Takeyoshi says casually as he puts the snacks down on the table. Jin'ichi and I unwrapped our treats quickly while Akiyo was shivering at his presence: "Um…" she tried to get some words out of her mouth as Jin'ichi smiled at Takeyoshi. It wasn't as strong as before, I could tell from his sarcastic tone that he was desperately trying his hardest to keep his cool...

"Takeyoshi! We were just talking about you!" I looked at the kid, normally I would smile too, but the way he's looking at me is keeping me from doing anything too encouraging: "Um… yeah, you see after careful consideration, I just want to say…" "Yeah…?" Takeyoshi looked at me suspiciously, a kid looking at me like I'm hiding something is definitely way up on the afraid-of list. It doesn't help after the way he treated Monigami and the fact he only has one eye to deal with.

"I just want to say good luck! We're going back to Monigami's Mansion!" I said really fast out of fear. Big mistake. Takeyoshi got triggered by hearing that phrase, and that's definitely not a good sign! "Aw man! It's still there!? It looks like I didn't hit Monigami hard enough…" He sounded completely delusional and angry at Monigami, I think I heard his eye twitch when he said that… yikes. "Whoa kid whoa! Save it for when we get there dammit!" thank you for jumping in Naruki, I owe you one. Now Takeyoshi quickly went from angry to hyped as he jumped up and down, must be some kind of mood swing...

"Okay! I won't let you guys down!" "That's what I'm afraid you'd say…" I said a bit nervously, can you blame me if the mood whiplash got to me?

"Let's go team, and maybe try not to get too ahead of ourselves…" Jin'ichi says with confidence, but that made Takeyoshi talk pirate as he was getting his costume ready. I thought it was cute at first, but now it sounds a bit unnerving: "Argh! I can't wait to see the smug look on the chubby kid's face slowly become a blubbering mess!" Okay Takeyoshi, that sentence alone just sounds wrong! Even Akiyo is a bit cautious herself as she slowly makes a pushing motion with her hands: "N-Nice kid… it's all going to be okay…"

"Okay, so who's driving me this time? I never thought I would say that aloud..." Naruki says embarrassed, but I have a plan… "Akiyo, do you know how to drive?" I asked while winking at her. "Um, yes? I learned how to just before my sweet sixteenth. I usually avoid doing something like this because it's more common to travel by foot or by train." Akiyo says that as if she doesn't exactly prefer driving as a whole.

"Oh, I get it now! Harry, if Akiyo drives it could let the kid take in the scenery a bit. I mean after all, we are going to be visiting this place allot so we should at least give the kid a proper tour of the place." Jin'ichi winks back at me as our plan has officially begun. How do we stop a child from possibly murdering Monigami? Well it's simple: we stop Takeyoshi from having too much fun, and calm him down enough to probably not kill Monigami. It will be tricky, given the delusions he's in now, but we'll do our best.

I opened the app and began the navigation and we entered Mementos Lane as we turned into our alter egos: Hero, Gremlin, Siren, Liger, and Scalawag. I took a look at Scalawag and he was bouncing up and down with excitement: "Oh boy, I can't wait to see what the mansion looks like now that I've come back with a vengeance!" "Whoa kiddo, just wait for Hero, he's going to get more of those brochures for us." Gremlin reminded Scalawag as I went into the gas station to get more of the randomized brochures.

The gas station looked okay, at least from my perspective. I've been to thousands of these gas stations, but none of those had posters based on delusions and dreams. The only thing keeping me from forever liking it was the unredeemable bathroom I went into yesterday. Just thinking about it's unsanitary structure, it's odor forged from hundreds of sweat, it just makes me sick just thinking about it! I barfed in one of the toilets as well as going number one, fortunately I remembered to go to the bathroom in the real world before we left so it's all good.

The rest of the gas station is alright, it has that smell of mint air freshener, there's tons of shelves and fridges with foods and drinks based on what people think of them, and there's a TV that's usually just about people I've never seen before doing things they wouldn't be caught doing in real life. If this is a gas station, and it was made by people's desires, as far as I can tell it's actually pretty accurate.

I looked at the constantly smiling lady as I grabbed one of each of the various brochures that were on a rack on the counter. She's one of those kinds of people who run Mementos Lane, she's basically what all of humanity thinks of people like her. I'm not complaining, I too expect a lot from a beautiful lady smiling at my service. "Are you heading back to the Mansion of Gluttony again stranger?" the chaperone smiled as I bashfully replied: "Yes, we're going there to steal Monigami's heart."

She stopped doing anything for a brief moment, she closed her eyes and continued to smile like she was now, but the silence was so unsettling for some reason. Did I say something wrong? "Um… are you okay?" "Never better. Although I must suggest that you stay away from that place for now, it's currently gone haywire." Wait, haywire!? Takeyoshi did that much damage to him!? "U-Um, why has the mansion gone haywire...?" I asked her hoping the answer would be at least a little, it wasn't...

"You see, you outsiders have something that is known as a 'trauma'. If one has spawned a Palace and gets a 'trauma', then the trauma will override the Palace's main goal: to contain one's distorted desires. That means, everything will fall into chaos and it'll begin to slowly destroy the ruler's mind. If gone unchecked, their Palace will be centered around their trauma instead of their desires." Is she implying that Monigami's Palace will be even more distorted because of Takeyoshi? Whatever that meant, especially from someone who can't stop smiling, I didn't want to know!

I ran outside and told everyone while I was still afraid of what might happen next: "Guys! Monigami's Palace has gone haywire! If we don't do something about this, then something terrible might happen to Monigami" Siren took this like a girl to a break-up and she teared up a bit due to the shock: "Oh no! That poor child…!" "God damnit, that would mean the treasure will be harder to find huh?" Gremlin bit his lip in anger because of this sudden development.

"So what? That just makes it so Monigami would lose his Palace right?" Scalawag missed the point so I did my best to explain it better to him so he could understand the situation: "Listen, Monigami is in serious trouble right now! If we don't find out how to fix his Palace, you might not be able to see Doll-Hakaru again!" Bringing up Doll-Hakaru was the perfect guilt trip plan, although it was slightly unintentional that I reacted this way. He loves my doll-self, so naturally bringing him up would surely get his attention. Takeyoshi needs to know that Monigami is in an even bigger peril than before!

"W-well g-good riddance, h-he was just a cruel reminder of how he thinks of you! And besides, wouldn't this be a good thing to know about? No more Doll-Hakaru means no more Palace, and that means no more bullying, I'd say we leave him be!" Oh man, it didn't work… Takeyoshi is still delusional about this, perhaps we made him worse…

"Oh no you don't you little brat, we're going to see Monigami whether you like it or not! Besides, don't you want to kick this Monigami's butt personally?" Naruki managed to persuade Takeyoshi, his once angry expression turned around and he knew that he could be the only one who could stop him: "Alright, so defeating Shadow Monigami in this state won't change anything else right?" I spoke as another attempt to defuse the bomb strapped in Takeyoshi's emotions: "I'm not sure, but we have to investigate the Palace before we do anything rash." "Fine…" Takeyoshi says looking away at our choice of words.

Liger turns into a monster truck and Siren takes the wheel. Y'know, when we aren't blazing down the highway, you can really see what's going on here. There's all these weird shapes in the background that look like veins, there are very little railings that secure the risky roads, and a couple of roads were twisting and mixing together without question. Here comes the loop de loop, Siren steps on the gas carefully and we just manage to gather enough speed to avoid falling into the strange rocky pits below.

Despite my fear of heights, for once I didn't feel like puking on anyone this time. After that, it's a straight shot to Monigami's Mansion. We arrived at the toll booth and paid the dull toll guy ¥100 since there was no price range, but instead of welcoming us, he told us something unexpected…

"I don't see why you folks keep coming back here, especially now." "Huh? The mansion looks alright to me, I thought I was told it was on the fritz." I asked albeit a bit confused. The toll guy looks at me with the same face he made when I gave him money, but then again, when doesn't he make that face?: "Maybe on the outside, but on the inside? It's like some monster filled zoo in there. Master Monigami hasn't been out at all today, I have a hunch that the Palace is going haywire."

"Haywire!?" Siren sounded surprised, she knew haywire wasn't a good word to use in a time like this! Especially after what I already said about haywire Palaces. "Yep. Not that many people know why it happens, it must've been something to do with a fear of sorts. If you guys want to help sort out this mess, do me a favor and read this…" The toll guy hands me a small book, it has some cryptic font choices and the title looks straight from a criminal's letter.

" 'Metaverse for Dummies: How to fix a Palace'? Palaces can break?" I wondered as the toll guy pointed out what makes a Palace break: "That's right. Just a couple of years ago, some orange haired girl's Palace started going bonkers, but after being left alone for so long it just adapted to all of that chaos." "I'm sorry…?" Siren says a bit confused as I was. Apparently his tone started to feel a little annoyed with our arrogance, but he still kept that straight face the whole time...

"It means that if this here Palace doesn't fix itself, the owner might give in and possibly want to die." "What!?" I couldn't believe it, I know we were supposed to rebel against him, but now there is a chance that Monigami might die if we rebel too much! Scalawag kinda got stumped as to what that meant, but then he got suddenly happy as we looked at him with concern: "Hey, I already told you guys that this is a good thing! If he dies, nobody has to suffer again. And maybe we can go out for some ice cream afterwards!"

Siren was shocked and slightly embarrassed hearing Scalawag say something that crazy, and she tried to cover it up by placing her arm on his head: "Please excuse our child, he gets really excited over stuff like this."

"Yeah, can we just go in now?" Gremlin says while being a bit unnerved by Takeyoshi's overconfidence. The toll guy shrugs and presses two buttons: one to open and one to announce that it's opening over the megaphone: "Suit yourself. Welcome to Monigami's mansion, where everything has gone to shit." Yeah, that's definitely not right...

The mansion looks almost completely normal on the outside, in fact, it was exactly the way we left it last time. But there's something about this that feels empty, like a cardboard cutout. The windows didn't have anything in them, we don't see Doll-Hakaru anywhere or any of Monigami's Shadows, and I can't seem to spring up the map on my phone like last time. We were creeped out enough that this place was already empty enough on it's own, but when you've got an inappropriately excited little child next to you, you can't help but panic.

"Okay! Let's go!" Scalawag said with pride. "Whoa there kid, take it easy. The Palace has gone haywire, remember?" Gremlin points out with a worried expression on his face. "Who cares? I wanna kick some bass!" Scalawag says because he can't cuss. I've decided to help tone it down a bit myself: "Okay Scalawag, but remember what almost happened to Siren?"

"Rushing in recklessly will only cause problems. Let's stop and think about this manual we've been given before we proceed." Siren says as we spot a stubborn look on Scalawag's face: "Oh okay fine, but after that it's straight in!" I read the manual, fortunately, despite it's janky use of letters and unmatching fonts, I can understand what all of this means, so I can spot what's wrong when a Palace 'goes haywire'...

" 'Are you scared of something so much that your Palace is acting funny? Do you see a big monster that looks like your biggest fear? Are all of the neat stuff you imagined gone and the good stuff got replaced with the bad? If so, then your Palace is definitely going haywire, if the problem is not averted in the minimum of 3 days, your Palace will permanently change into a place no one would want to go. To fix a Palace, you must find the Temple that resides within that Palace before the monster does, and reclaim your stolen treasure. Only then will you be able to return it back to normal. Warning: If anyone else takes the treasure, you will be consumed by fear almost immediately and your Palace will change much quicker. Please refer to 'Palaces, Dreams and Landscapes' for more about Palaces.'"

"Oh no… If we don't fix the mansion, Monigami will be consumed with fear!" I pointed out to the crew as they all gasped. I was personally flipping out myself but everyone else's reactions made it hard for me to stay calm!

"He'll become corrupt beyond repair…" Siren was horrified knowing that if someone is in that big of trouble, she wouldn't forgive herself for not helping. "Yeah, and that treasure will definitely be even harder to grab." Gremlin brought that up again as he grinds his teeth in anger, not towards Monigami, but towards himself.

"I have no idea what's going on, but even I somehow feel sorry for him…" Liger also briefly expressed his pity for the weak, if he was in Monigami's position, he would flip out. We all felt horrible for what might happen to Monigami, despite everything he did to us, even though he was our enemy, we couldn't blame anyone but ourselves for letting him get this way… but as for Takeyoshi...

"Come on you guys. He deserves every ounce of despair he gets, if this guy gets in trouble because of it, it's not my problem anymore. Let the meanie suffer already! This guy has been picking on me for too long! Too long I tell yah! I can't wait for this psycho sucker to cry his little pants off until he drowns in his own tears! Can we go home? I want to enjoy watching Monigami, the kid who did so many bad things to everyone, cry like the scared little baby he is…" All of a sudden, Takeyoshi changed his mind! Instead of wanting to hurt Monigami, he wants him to completely suffer!?

"T-Takeyoshi… you can't be serious…" Akiyo's voice cracked as she watched the once sane child speak for himself. Seeing a mere kid say that much about their hatred for a bully, who was also a kid, is making her believe that Takeyoshi is corrupt.

"Oh yeah wise guy!? What about the treasure? You said you wanted to see that up close!" Naruki demands while shouting in Takeyoshi's face. He ignored the liger and said: "Who cares about his stinking treasure anymore? I'd bet it's some stupid bottle or maybe even another ding dong doll."

Jin'ichi walked up to Takeyoshi as he tried to use his charm to get him to help. He smiled, but that faded into a frown almost immediately: "Look kid, I know you want Monigami to suffer, trust me we all want to see him cry, but not like this pal." Takeyoshi got even more mad because now he couldn't understand what he's supposed to figure out...

"Oh yeah? Well all of you guys wanted to kill him, I could tell that every one of you had a grudge against him. What's so wrong about killing criminals!? They deserve whatever they got coming to them! I'm just doing you guys a favor and helped you drive Monigami into killing himself, what the heck is wrong with that!?"

Everything Takeyoshi, everything. I was completely shivering in my pants because I've never seen Takeyoshi this angry before, but before any of us boys could speak again, Akiyo approached Takeyoshi with the soothing voice she was known for. She recovered from her fear almost quickly by seeing the light left inside, and she frowned a bit as she stroked her hand across Takeyoshi's check.

"I can see that you have taken our inner-awakenings the wrong way, haven't you? No one deserves death, not even the most vile of criminals want to die like one. Monigami, he was the first one I saw the pure in a corrupted figure. Sure he peed in the ocean, but in the end I just wanted to see him smile as pure as the daylight. I had to realize that my awakening wasn't just anger I was dealing with, it was mostly about inner-peace. Realizing my mistakes, and vowing to see the light, was what caused me to become Siren, not any hint of anger." That sounded very appealing, good job Akiyo.

"And, I mean sure, Monigami is kinda a dick, but not that big of one. It was mostly his father's fault for killing my parents, not his. He's just a kid who was raised the wrong way, that's all." Naruki said while trying to be as upbeat as possible, and all without cracking up or pretending not to care like he usually does.

"Look, I know I said I wanted to kill him, but in actuality I… I just wanted to be strong like my pal Harry. The reason I'm so violent is because nobody understood me, and that I wanted to become someone better than plain old me, someone who has the strength of my tough self, and the kindness of my old self. I couldn't go back to the way I once was, but when Harry helped me out even when I didn't want his help, I realized that if I didn't unleash the beast I've become, I would've been killed. That's when I became Gremlin, I felt like a new man as I let my feelings run free." Jin'ichi… you shouldn't have. But then again, he's just as encouraging as ever...

"B-But, what about all those things you said about revenge and stuff? Wasn't that why you wanted Monigami dead?" Takeyoshi still doesn't get the entire picture yet, he just sounded conflicted and unsure. It was time for me to finally tell him why I awakened. It's time for me to tell him the main reason I joined the Phantom Thieves...

"Takeyoshi. I don't do this out of revenge. It was never about revenge, I just wanted to help those who couldn't help themselves..." "Huh? What do you mean Hakaru?" Takeyoshi asked. I'm glad that he did ask, but at the same time, it pains me to once again rely on my past as a crutch...

"Ever since I lost my friend Mao, I've been wanting to prove to the world that I wasn't the coward everyone thought I was. All I ever wanted was to be special, and not just for ruining someone else's life. At first, I wanted to be like Jin'ichi, a man who doesn't need friends and is too tough to be picked on by the bigger kids. But then, when I watched him suffer when Ryuji, Mishima and Akira were almost expelled, I couldn't help but feel helpless."

"To be honest, when I gave him the calling card for Kamoshida, and watched him slowly lighten up, that was the most satisfying feeling I've ever felt. Every time I turned into Hero, I meant what that name represents. To be a hero. Monigami isn't entirely a bad guy you know, but I could tell from the start he was evil. But that doesn't mean I don't hate him enough to make him suffer. Kamoshida was indeed pure evil, but like Jin'ichi said, nobody is immediately evil when they first arrive. When Kamoshida got the gold medal, I'd bet that messed him up a lot."

"The same can be said about Monigami, he may be addicted to suffering and pain, but that's because of his treasure. Once we fix his mansion, and steal his treasure, we'll save him from bullying anyone. Killing someone or making someone suffer because they made you suffer doesn't make you any better than them you know." I got more and more supportive as Jin'ichi, Akiyo, and Naruki all felt like they should help too…

"Yeah kid, I know how much you hate Monigami, but just leaving him here to rot isn't any good." "If you want to become a better person yourself, you'd take the pure with the corrupt, and then and only then, will you be balanced enough to make a change." "Hey, just because we're rough and tough doesn't mean you have to go overboard little guy."

"Helping others is what the Phantom Thieves do right? They don't just stand around and watch someone suffer, they help those who are in trouble by stealing the desires of the ones giving them trouble! Doing that makes them confess everything bad that they did, and that's way better than punching the answers out! Now don't get me wrong, sometimes violence may be a good thing, but too much will just make things worse for them." I said with a tone that felt very empowering. Akiyo followed up with a smile.

"Trust me, I was once hostile like you, handing out corrupt charms to those who are equally corrupt, and even attempting to get the corrupted arrested. But then, thanks to you, you helped me realize my true potential. I am not a monster, I am a healer. The healer of all things pure and corrupt." I nod at Akiyo's comfort as Takeyoshi sniffs a bit. I think we're starting to get to him...

"See? We don't always have to end things with violence, but that doesn't mean we can't use a little violence when the going gets tough." "And trust me, this mansion is the best place for me to lash out in, it keeps me smooth in the real world as well." Naruki says stretching a bit.

"That goes double for me, but I didn't always resort to violence in real time you know, just when someone wicked as hell comes into my view. I didn't exactly want to kill them, I just wanted to teach them a lesson on respecting us 'poor boys'. But when I heard about this place, along with Harry's motivation on coming here, I decided that I should probably take it a little more easy in case those guys have Palaces in their heads." Thanks again Jin'ichi, I'll take it from here...

"Takeyoshi. You don't have to feel bad about wanting to kill someone, that's relatable, but if you try to actually kill someone, it's not worth the trouble. The only way we can truly fix Monigami is to save him from himself! And to do that, we need to first save his mansion!" I told him as Takeyoshi started to tear up a bit.

"B-But… i-isn't he our enemy...? We're supposed to beat him right?!" Takeyoshi is feeling a bit regretful, so I told him with confidence: "Well yes, but still, going through his Palace while it's haywire to get his treasure, only for it to consume him with fear, does that sound like fun to you?"

"As they say, the less rough the journey is, the easier it is to save those who can't be saved alone." Jin'ichi says pumping a fist into the air. "To defeat your enemy, you must look for the easiest opportunity to do so. But that shouldn't mean you should abuse that opportunity..." Akiyo clears up with a calm expression.

"Are we saying all this just so Takeyoshi won't kill Monigami?" Naruki! We're supposed to get him to not kill Monigami, not make him think we're talking nonsense! I bring the conversation back up as fast as it was brought down: "It's more than that! If you watch as Monigami slowly but surely dies, given the mental state you were in, you would've become much worse when dealing with another bully!"

"That'll make you a 'poor boy' alright. Tell me, do you want to live your life with the guilt of watching Monigami rot away?" "Or would you rather steal his desires and make him confess his guilt to the world?" I finish Jin'ichi's statement as he points to me like he knows his stuff. "I'd go with Harry, trust me, watching Kamoshida confess everything he did is the most satisfying thing for me. And I'm positive that the only way we can win without looking like bullies is by helping our enemies, even when you think they can't be forgiven."

As the young child he is, he probably couldn't understand most of what we're saying, but we made sure the message was clear enough for him to know that Monigami may be cruel, but nobody deserves to die… he started crying as he dropped on the floor and realized his mistake…

"*Sniff* You guys… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt Monigami that much! I only wanted his reign of terror to end, I didn't think I was going to end this way! I was only trying to impress you guys, please forgive me!" Jin'ichi smiled knowing we got through to Takeyoshi: "Dude, you may have been aggressive back there, but other than that you were fantastic!"

"Just learn to control your temper a little, and make that strength work here, and I swear you'll be an excellent addition to the team!" I said with a smile. "Thank you Hakaru, Jin'ichi, Akiyo, Naruki!"

And then we hugged. It finally felt safe to hug Takeyoshi again, and that was satisfying as heck, we saved a kid from losing his mind to a bully. I might tear up a little myself, but that's because Takeyoshi needed help when he needed most. I think Takeyoshi was going to end up with a Palace of his own if it weren't for us, I'm just surprised he made it this far. Jin'ichi and Akiyo were just as proud as I was, and it filled my heart with a warm feeling of friendship, the feeling I've never felt in a long time.

"Um yes, this is a very touching moment, but we still need to check out what's inside!" Naruki breaks the mood as he felt awkward for the group hug. "I know, I'm very scared to go inside, truth be told, I just might pee my pants." I say with a straight face despite my fear, and the fact that I already went to the bathroom.

"We can't do this without you Scalawag." said Jin'ichi. "Just don't go completely bonkers like you did before…" Akiyo said a bit embarrassed as Takeyoshi was slowly recovering: "Don't worry, I won't. If saving Monigami is better than killing him, then I'll do it! I'll save Monigami from himself, no matter what it takes! Now let's go inside already before I change my mind! Just kidding!"

I breathed a breath of relief as I thought he was going to snap again, but thank goodness for our teamwork: "Okay! Let's go!" I shouted as we faced the building once more. Who knows what could've happened in there after what happened yesterday. But at least, now that Takeyoshi is willing to help save Monigami, we can now accomplish our goal without killing Monigami!

I'm so proud of Takeyoshi for changing his mind about making his bully suffer, if you ask me, I think we just changed his heart. If Kamoshida's testimony was anything to go by, I'd bet if we can change Monigami's heart, then we'll all be expert Phantom Thieves in no time!

...but, does the title Phantom Thieves even apply to us now? We're going to do the same thing they do all the time, just with a completely different motive than just 'change the hearts of the crooked adults'. Maybe, we're something even more than just an extra league of Thieves. But we won't know for sure until we first save Monigami from the horror we have created, whether it was intentional or not...

We stood in front of the misleading mansion. Seeing this for the first time was definitely a place that was far beyond anything we had seen before. But just by looking at it now, I could tell something was wrong. At least I felt something every time we found this place, that feeling of greed, the spoils of being a rich man-child, it all plays out perfectly with the environments springing to life and interacting with our every touch. The Shadow's clothes felt like real leather, the table was made of freshly cut wood, and even the pool was realistic by itself.

But now, it felt so empty. With nothing on the outside, and the inside looking like one of those empty doll houses, that once gluttonous feeling I felt from this place was gone. The emptiness was extra unsettling for me, I wasn't that big of a fan of nothing before, but this is a human mind we're talking about. Monigami was scared to death by Takeyoshi and his Palace took that into account in just the wrong way to make me shiver. But I had my friends by my side, even with Takeyoshi regretting what he's done, we still felt sure that our actions won't be for nothing. I just hoped that they would have my back too, even if this place felt completely unnatural...

We entered the mansion through the front door as usual, only to find almost nothing inside the mansion. There were still those golden and white colors we were familiar with, but there's very little trace of anything lively found before. There was no pool, no dining hall, not even one sign of life. It was almost as if someone or something had swallowed all of the life it once had. The tiled floor was perfectly clean, which was normal for Monigami's standards, but I see absolutely nothing that even indicated that it was dirty in the first place.

It gave off that same feeling of nothingness that the outside had, the structure looked the same, but it gave off this strange chill up my spine as we noticed the only thing that was in the room. It was just a staircase that goes down, down, down. It looked like the red carpet staircase from before, but before all of this, it was pointed upward. There was literally nothing else to worry about, the only way we could find Shadow Monigami, and the source of his trauma, would be this very staircase that spirals into the very depths of the unknown.

"What the heck happened here? It looks like the place was completely demolished or somethin'..." Jin'ichi looked around hoping he remembered anything about this place, but all he saw was a perfectly blank room with nothing special about it at all. "Um, Akiyo? I take back what I said about Doll-Hakaru, I miss him so much, where is he…?" Takeyoshi looked at Akiyo with no clue where my other self was. We knew very well what happened to the things he imagined, but we couldn't bring ourselves to tell him yet.

"I-I don't know. I don't understand. This building felt corrupt before, but I have no idea what to make of it now, it's just… nothing. I can't tell if it's good or bad, this place is messing with my senses…" Akiyo was shivering, paralyzed in some sort of state, she felt as if the Palace was telling her that something was definitely wrong with it…

We then noticed the sapphire-blue invincibility charm on the empty tiled floor that Akiyo gave to Doll-Hakaru. Doll-Hakaru couldn't have dropped it, we tried to assume it was something else, but just the mere presence of something from the real world was really implying that something terrible happened to him.

"That's…" Akiyo gasped on the sight of the charm in the wrong spot, and I was just as scared as anyone who loved a toy only to have it be torn to shreds: "The invincibility charm! That's what keeps him from being caught right?" I knew right there that something was clearly wrong with Monigami's mind. The charm should've disappeared with Doll-Hakaru, but this was something from the real world we brought to him, this couldn't be here unless this reality rejected what was once from the other side.

"Yeah… Doll-Harry, I hope you aren't in that much trouble…" Jin'ichi was a tiny bit shook as he looked away in shock, but nothing too serious for him to freak out over...

"Oh no… what have I done…? I didn't want him to disappear, I just..." Takeyoshi was devastated upon seeing the charm upon the floor. If Doll-Hakaru was really gone, Takeyoshi blamed himself for it. He tried to deny Doll-Hakaru was gone, since he was close friends with the doll since day one, but this was heart wrenchingly terrifying for him. If he unintentionally made Doll-Hakaru disappear, despite being a figment of imagination, he would never forgive himself for trying to kill Monigami...

"Doll-Hakaru is okay right? He's probably just waiting for us downstairs to say hi, right...?" "How the heck should I know? Didn't you guys say that doll was a part of Monigami's mind?" Naruki asked as Akiyo answered in theory: "Of course. When Monigami's Palace went haywire, so did all of his creations. His mind, and his state of karma, won't recover until we fix what has been broken..."

"Will we ever see him again?" Takeyoshi looked at Jin'ichi like he was depending on him for answers. But Jin'ichi gave us a serious look in his eyes, if things stayed like they are now, things won't change for the better for Monigami: "Not when the Palace is looking like this, let's go." Jin'ichi signaled us to go down the stairs as I shivered a bit: "Did I forget to mention that I'm a little afraid of suspicious looking staircases?" But I'm not that afraid, at least not for now, I just had to find out what has been going on inside Monigami's mind. I pushed myself to go down while holding Takeyoshi's hand with all my might…

We went down the stairs slowly and carefully. I could feel the mansion slowly fade away as we head further and further into whatever madness Monigami has thought up. The emptiness of the mansion was being slowly replaced by a strange feeling of amalgamation, as if everything that once belonged to this mansion was all crammed down there.

The further down we went, the more scared I was, but I had to force myself to move so that we could see what's going on. We then saw a giant sized maze we were about to enter, it looked like fragments of Monigami's imagination were forced to fuse together into a big near inescapable board.

I could see huge chunks of the interior of the mansion on the walls and broken down pieces of wood in the most unfitting of places. We haven't even been close enough to see all the maze yet, and already I feel this sense of fear. This dread overlapping with my current fear made me freeze up a bit, but Jin'ichi kept me going by nodding his head in confidence. This goes to show, no matter what the situation, Jin'ichi knows how to stay calm and collected even when he's at his darkest hour.

Finally, after we climbed down the last step, the staircase just disappeared into thin air. It must be afraid we might be cheating if we took a better look at the maze. Seeing that we've got something to worry about in front of us, we started to walk slowly and carefully while taking a better look at the horrific scene…

The walls of the maze were golden and white, but not in the fancy painted kind. It was almost like someone just threw both colors on the walls haphazardly and the result was a hideous mixture that looked like some kind of golden barf. The floor was in the same tile pattern as before, but some of these tiles were splashed with the gold from the walls. There was almost nothing to be heard except the screams of the ones in pain...

We saw all sorts of things jammed into the walls, they were originally a part of Monigami's cognition before the Palace went haywire. There were the piranhas, some of those broken dolls, and even the animal heads from the man cave. Every living thing in the walls was screaming and making noises as if they were demanding to be killed with a blank expression on their faces.

They were certainly creeping us out, if this is what happens to Palaces when they break, we'd better be extra careful of the consequences of our actions now… Takeyoshi was beginning to shiver and shake because he now knows that he caused this to happen. When we encountered the dolls for the first time, Takeyoshi didn't seem to mind it until the creepiness began to sit in with him, but now the fear is in plain sight.

I was right there beside him the whole time as we both found ourselves shivering over the ruined landscape. When we came across a fork in the road, we all took the right, we could've split up, but I'm not mentally prepared to go without my friends yet.

So we continued down the dark maze, shaking and shivering all the way while using Naruki's nose to track down Monigami. Eventually, after a couple of twists and turns, we came across a dead end. Before we could turn around though, we heard a faint voice lodged in the walls. It was my voice, it was calling for help. It sounds the same as he was before, but it also sounded so broken and miserable. I was afraid to look, but I had to, and sure enough, my curiosity led to one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen in a long time…

It was Doll-Hakaru's head, his fabric skin was molded onto one of the walls. He lost an eye, his mouth was in an expression of complete agony, and I saw the head twitch occasionally like the other broken dolls, all the while sounding hopeless while still keeping a bit of his mind intact. Takeyoshi broke down upon seeing Doll-Hakaru like this, I don't blame him, I wanted to cry too!

"D-Doll-Hakaru…!" Akiyo said frozen in fear. "Damn, whatever happened here must've been terrible…" Naruki pointed out as he was starting to feel a bit bad himself for just getting to know this version of me. "Doll-Harry, what's going on?" Jin'ichi said distressed as he had never imagined me in a situation like this.

"Heroes… there's something wrong with Monigami…everything is becoming stuck to these walls and his biggest fears are being brought to life… it hurts… every second I'm trapped here is more painful than dying in a horror movie… why Takeyoshi? Why did you have to go and be a monster?" Takeyoshi was frightened by not just the doll-me's pained voice, but the way he just downright blamed someone he knew too well for his suffering, and then he tried to apologize...

"D-Doll-Hakaru, I'm sorry… I-" "No need to be sorry… I can totally understand why you wanted to scare Monigami… but did you have to scare him half to death!? And now look what's happening to me! My body is ruined! My string is gone, even one of my eyes was plunged from my face! This pain won't stop, and it's not just me either! Everything Monigami loves about this place is going down the drain! If nobody stops this madness, I'll perish even more than I have to!" "Doll-Hakaru…" Takeyoshi was tearing up again, for the third time. He knows he did wrong, but if we didn't give him that little talk back there, he would've been even more scared than he is now…

"How do we get you out?" Jin'ichi wondered while looking around aimlessly. Doll-Hakaru was still stressed from the endless limbo he's been enduring, and he shouted for a bit before he returned to his calmer, but more broken state: "You can't! No matter how hard you try, I'll always be stuck here. The only way to fix this mess is to get Monigami himself to the treasure." "Wait, the treasure?" Naruki wondered.

"Normally, a treasure only exists if the ruler wants it to. But when a Palace gets THIS messed up, the treasure manifests itself as a sign of comfort. You must get Monigami to the treasure, if you don't, he'll be consumed by his fears." "Don't worry D-H, we'll find Shadow Monigami and get him to the treasure, no sweat." Jin'ichi says with a wink trying to look cool in front of me, but I know he's scared...

"Hurry! I don't know how much longer I can stay like this! If Monigami isn't cured in time, I'll be gone forever!" "Oh no… Doll-Hakaru! This is all my fault, I shouldn't have been so pushy about trying to confront Monigami in the first place!" Takeyoshi was crying. Akiyo was a bit too scared to muster a word. Jin'ichi and Naruki tried to keep their cool, but I felt something deep inside me snap. A feeling that I'm all too familiar with, one that forces all the fear I had once before to the depths of my mind...

"It's not your fault Takeyoshi. We brought you into this mess and now we're paying the price. It may be too late to take back what memories we had, but the only way we'll be able to save those memories is to save Monigami." "Um… Hero? What ever happened to kicking ass?" Naruki wonders, but my mind was clearer than ever...

"Don't you guys see? We weren't supposed to tamper with a Palace like this. We need to reverse this mistake and save Monigami! If the Phantom Thieves never dealt with something like this before, then we'll just have to power through it until we get it right! Monigami may be a bastard, but that shouldn't mean we should make him suffer! Until this whole thing has been fixed, we must press onward! We must help fix Monigami's Palace before his life takes a turn for the worse! Who's with me?"

I've never felt this confident and inspirational, but it got Jin'ichi, Akiyo and Naruki inspired to do what's right: "Heh. Harry, you are one hell of a boy. I may be up for kicking ass, but when that person is already suffering, I'll be happy to help them." Jin'ichi remembered how he suffered, and what he would do to those who had the same fate as he would have...

"Ah… I can feel it. Your rebellious spirit shows a notice that is exactly what I'm looking for. Purity doesn't come from fighting. It comes from doing what's right." Akiyo put her arms together while shedding a few tears... "Ehh, like I said, it wasn't his damn fault." Naruki smiled at me for what feels like the first time.

"What do you think Scalawag?" Jin'ichi looks at Takeyoshi with a confident grin on his face and Takeyoshi, while still crying a bit, smiles with a resolve to do things the right way. "If it'll get Doll-Hakaru back, and make up for my actions, I'm in!"

"Right. We'll be back for you Doll-Hakaru, I swear on it." I tell him with absolute confidence. "Hurry! I don't know how much longer until I disappear for good!" my doll self still panics, but that only made my emotions flare up and my fears burn down even more...

There's that feeling again, it was the exact same feeling I had when I first met Doll-Hakaru. That tone in his voice was scared and alone, just like I was. Whenever someone reminds me that I'm a coward, or even if I remember that I'm a coward, I just want to prove to everyone that I am not a coward. Because I was a coward, I just stood there in fear as my friend was beaten up, used, and toyed with in every possible way. I feared for my own safety back then, and that was a mistake I'll never make again.

The painful feeling in my heart just won't stop whenever someone or something reminds me that I was just as useless as before. But this motivates me unlike anything else in the world in the world, it's temporary, but until that problem is solved, I can't help but blame myself for my actions. Usually, when I get scared of something like a spider, I just let it happen. But while I'm in this state of mind, not even the biggest spider scares me. That's because I force myself to swallow my fear and let the pain flow through my mind, giving me a false sense of courage.

Seeing Doll-Hakaru like this has forced me to overcome the horrors of this maze. I see body parts dangling from the walls reaching out toward us, voices screeching and screaming and whispering, we even watched another doll melt into the wall in a horrifying fashion. But I forced myself to walk right past it without shouting. This only works if the circumstance is dire for me and my team, and I'm at risk losing them forever or whenever I'm being forced to watch someone else suffer.

Not even my enemies deserve to suffer like this, Kamoshida was a terrible man, but he sounded completely destroyed when he confessed his crimes. I had doubts about this whole change of heart thing at first, but everything else everyone tried, including the aforementioned violence method, didn't work. So when I heard I could experience for myself the mysterious actions of the Phantom Thieves, I couldn't refuse. And now, at this very moment, I wanted to help my enemy instead of hurt him!

Speaking of which, after traversing the maze a bit more, without a single living thing that isn't trapped in the walls in sight, we saw Shadow Monigami running this way. He looks like the same billionaire he once was, but his clothes were all messed up, his wig was gone and his voice sounded more frantic than usual…

He sounded more stressed as he took deep breaths as he tried to recover from… whatever it was chasing him just now: "Oh my god, oh my fucking god, that thing just doesn't stop coming after my ass!" "It's Monigami!" Siren sounded surprised. As soon as this world's Monigami saw us, he started to shake in fear as he started to get a little angry with us for some reason. Who could blame him? You visit a guy's cognitive happy place a couple of times, they'll just blame you for everything.

"Y-You! You dumb fuckers turned my Palace into a house of nightmares, didn't you?! Why did you cunts let that jackass turn into whatever THAT was!?" He points at us aggressively as Scalawag looks at Monigami confused and worried while he says: "What are you talking about?"

Shadow Monigami took a few seconds to process what was going on, but when he finally figured it out he screamed a bit and covered his eyes while shivering all about. It makes sense when you think about it, Shadow Monigami has seen the cruel side of Takeyoshi in his own special way. There was no doubt that when he saw Takeyoshi at that moment, he panicked. We were just as surprised as Takeyoshi as he saw his former bully break down like this…

"Just so we're clear, you don't find this satisfying right?" Naruki checked with Takeyoshi just in case. "No… not at all. This feels so wrong… am I the bully in this situation?" Takeyoshi now feels disturbed upon seeing what has Shadow Monigami become. A frightened little child who just wanted his world to be perfect, I would freak too if I came face to face with a kid like that...

"Y-You dumb fucker! You look just like the Bull! Why the hell are you looking at me like that you bitch!? Get the fuck away from me!" Shadow Monigami expressed his stress and his frustration trying to look angry, but it just sounded more panicked than anything... "The bull?" Jin'ichi couldn't help but wonder what exactly made Monigami so paranoid.

"Who else was I talking about goddamn it! That kid of yours looks exactly like the bull, and I hate it!" "I'm the bull!?" "Yes you… ugh! You were supposed to be a dumb fucking jackass, was that so hard!? Why on Earth did you turn into that bull!?" "W-Well… I…" Takeyoshi tried to explain, but seeing himself be compared to a bull was making him feel a bit uncomfortable. I pushed my fear back some more while Naruki backed Takeyoshi up…

"Just a minute buster, we came here to save your sorry ass!" "I-I don't need help, I don't need anyone! Especially from motherfuckers like you who turn one of my jackasses into a bull!" "And what, pray tell, is this bull?" You had to ask Naruki, you just had to ask...

Just as he finished asking that, we then heard huge stomping coming from behind Shadow Monigami, this scared most of us but for some reason I was completely unafraid, maybe I must've swallowed my fear hard enough to become immune to fear at this moment. We then saw the giant hooves that were ten times bigger than a regular airplane, it was so huge, that we all had to look up and see this giant black bull for ourselves. It's fur was crooked, the tail twitched every so often as a sign of madness, and it looked down on us with a giant head that looked like Takeyoshi's head with two huge horns that were lodged into the messed-up hair of that huge head.

It stared at us coldly with Takeyoshi's own human eye, it even got Takeyoshi's blue baseball cap, all looking a bit more dirty than it was before. "Oh fuck! The bull!" Shadow Monigami showed true fear at that moment, no sign of anger, just a child's fear against the one they once called pathetic. He ran away, but despite the huge size, we tried our best to stop it somehow!

Siren attempted to keep it from moving using her bubbles and charms, Liger tried chomping into its leg, Scalawag was too traumatized to use the whale, and I even tried lifting the bull. We even tried calling out our Personas one by one, as we used our projectiles and roars, and attacked with full fury!

Nothing, and I mean nothing worked. No matter how hard we try, the bull didn't feel anything but the cold emptiness of its heart... That's when I began to feel helpless again, every time I feel helpless, I panic! It doesn't matter what I was thinking beforehand, if someone makes me feel too helpless, I'll snap out of whatever I was doing and scream at the top of my lungs while holding up my arms to my head: "Aaaaaaahhh!"

"You've got to be shitting me…" Jin'ichi couldn't beat him. He found an expression that was too similar to the ones he considered to be completely homicidal, and who else would have it but the young kid he called friend? He was completely devastated seeing a creature make a face that insane, and he never felt this scared since his days before he became tough...

"My god…" I can get why Akiyo was scared with her hands covering her mouth, it's because she could sense the corrupt and the pure with near flawless accuracy. When she saw the bull, it was probably even more corrupt than anything she could imagine. She tried to tune into the light side, but it was no use, this creature has no light.

"Oh crap..." Naruki was apparently not as scared, but kinda a little shaky due to how weak he is in comparison. At least he knows when to back down from somebody bigger than his own size...

"Uh… ah… oh… he…lp…" as for Takeyoshi, oh no, he looked completely afraid of himself. He has never seen himself make a face that frightening, and it was the exact same expression he made when he snapped at Monigami. Now that it's being used against him, he stood there, frozen in absolute fear. He cried three times before the bull showed up, and every time before then we managed to cheer him back up. This was the last straw, he couldn't take all of this fear and his eye rained down near endless tears as he stuttered trying to process what was going on.

I never felt so useless, and sorry for Takeyoshi and his overwhelming feelings of regret. Things only got worse from there, we heard the bull speak, similar to how Doll-Hakaru normally speaks, but it sounded exactly how Takeyoshi sounded when he threatened the real Monigami: "Go away. You are keeping me from my prey."

"Takeyoshi! How the hell do we beat this thing!?" Naruki shouts confused and shaken by the voice. Akiyo started to cry a bit on her own as she expressed her sorrow: "No… stop… you'll make him worse…" I couldn't tell if Akiyo was referring to the bull or to Takeyoshi. But it didn't matter, I was too scared to think straight and all of that built-up fear from inside me started to bubble up like crazy…

"Goddamn… What should we do Hero?" Jin'ichi says while he bit his lip. He looked at me and saw a man who had teeth that were chattering off the walls and a true cowardly instinct: "I… I… I…" I tried to get a word or two out of my mouth, but the situation was too much for me to handle on my own.

"Hero? Harry! What's wrong?!" Jin'ichi gets worried as he now knows I'm scared nearly to death of this sudden feeling of helplessness. I couldn't take it anymore as I screamed: "Run!!!" I ran away like the coward I am, despite me claiming that I wouldn't be scared all that while ago. But when you've got a bull with a creepy child's face on it, especially if that face was one of your best friends, that motive becomes perfectly relatable. The rest of the crew followed my lead as Naruki grabbed Takeyoshi, and they ran for the hills with the bull right behind us!

We ran for our dear lives as if they meant the world to us! Naruki transformed into a monster truck so that we could get away faster. We hopped in as fast as we could and Akiyo did Takeyoshi's seatbelt for him as we drove away from the stomps that sounded like an earthquake. The bull childishly roared as it chased our truck back through the maze, past all the things that almost scared me in the first place. I wanted to look away, but I was so busy being hung up in fear right now, Jin'ichi had to drive. He picked up Shadow Monigami when we bumped into him again, and we drove underneath the beast's legs as it roared even louder.

We kept racing through the maze as fast as we could, Akiyo helped with directions while me, Monigami and Takeyoshi were shivering off the hook. Every time we hit a dead end, we took a quick U-turn under the beast. It almost crushed us about three times, but we sure didn't want to make it a fourth! After about eight wrong turns and fourteen close calls, we see an ancient stone temple that connects the entire maze together, thankfully the hole is small enough so the monster can't get in!

"Look! It's the temple!" Akiyo points out with caution. "I see it!" Jin'ichi shouts violently as he stomps on the gas as hard as he can. "Hey, all of that running has made me thirsty! Where's my goddamn sippy cu-" Shadow Monigami almost finished his usual bossy demands before Naruki shouted so loud, you could barely hear a roar come out of him: "Will you just shut the hell up!? We're saving your sorry ass this time, don't make me feed you to that thing!" after saying that Shadow Monigami didn't say anything as we approached the temple...

We drove right up the stone staircase and into the temple entrance as we almost got eaten by the bull's insanely huge mouth. It smashed it's head into the temple as we saw a few rocks crash down on Naruki's hood. He turned back to normal as we hear the bull roar in defeat, the footsteps get quieter and quieter as it wanders away from the temple.

We were still trying to recover as I was hyperventilating like crazy, Shadow Monigami was sucking on his thumb and Takeyoshi recovered from his frozen state, but now he started to cry: "I don't like this anymore! I wanna go home!" I wanted to go home too, but not before getting to the bottom of this! But still, what if the bull comes back for more!?

"So, does that answer your fucking question...?" Jin'ichi says to Naruki while being stressed out. "Well… kinda. But what the hell was that!? It was like some sort of aggressive beast or something!" Naruki snaps as the rage he couldn't feel finally caught up to him.

"I-I don't know! If Takeyoshi must've been that aggressive towards Monigami, a monster must've been forged from the spoiled brat's subconscious!" Oh wow, even when she's scared Akiyo makes theories based on what she can figure out from the Cognitive World...

"I just got my powers like, two days ago, and now all this shit is happening!? I think I should've stayed home…" Naruki tries to keep calm, but still fails. "This is terrible! We can't get the treasure at this rate! We need to fix Monigami's mind!" Akiyo says being terrified of not just the consequences anymore, she's now terrified of the bull, just like we all are…

"Yeah, but first… we have to fix them. They must be taking this sudden turn of events too hard…" Jin'ichi, you couldn't be any more right! "Okay. You get Hakaru, I'll help Takeyoshi." Akiyo insisted, that just means Naruki is left with...

"What!? Hey wait a minute, how come I'm stuck with filthy rich!?" "You've been with a millionaire for a long time, it's obvious that you should know what he wants…" Jin'ichi says as he walks over to my nervous wreck of a body.

I've never actually been scared of Takeyoshi's own face before! I can see why Monigami was freaking scared out of his mind, but did he really have to make something that scares the dickens out of me too!? With no idea what to do next, I was shivering like crazy trying to remain calm, but Jin'ichi spoke in that familiar comforting voice he was well known for...

"Hey, Harry? Are you okay?" "N-No, I'm not okay. This was the first time I've completely panicked in this world, and that bull… he just won't stop for anything!!" "Harry, this is no time to be hysterical. If you wanna get rid of the bull, you'd have to pull yourself together." "H-How can I do that, when there's a giant bull outside?"

"The bull isn't gonna get you, nothing is going to get you as long as you face your fears head-on. That's what you taught me, right? To face one's fears you'll have to believe you can? Remember our goal: save Monigami's mansion so that we can get that treasure later and get him to confess his sins. That was your main goal, to save those who couldn't save themselves. And right now Harry, it looks like you need some saving yourself…"

Jin'ichi… I knew from the beginning that my kindness would be paid back somehow, and this was one of the reasons why I needed someone else. All this time, I needed someone desperately to comfort me whenever the going gets tough, whenever it wasn't my sister, it was my own thoughts trying to calm me down. I've never been this scared in a long time, it almost made me die from fear, and if I hadn't helped Jin'ichi when he needed it, he wouldn't be here trying to help me back on my feet…!

"Yeah… yeah! The bull can't get in anyway, so I think I've got this! Thanks, Jin'ichi — I mean Gremlin!" I hug Gremlin to cheer myself up, he pats my back in response. I used to think that I only get this kind of comfort for when I feel sad or anything that's not myself, I also thought that cowardliness leads to this kind of comfort. But this doesn't feel cowardly, I felt true fear back there, and to tell the truth, I didn't think I was going to recover. But now, I feel much better that I have someone new to comfort me, I guess that's just one of the perks of being a nice guy.

Meanwhile, Akiyo was hugging a crying Takeyoshi telling him that everything is going to be okay, while of course using her soothing charms to further calm him down. As for Naruki and Shadow Monigami…

"Hey. Quit acting like a dumb baby already." "Hmmm…!?" I think I see where this is going, Naruki is pushing Monigami's buttons: "Aren't you supposed to be the one who broke Jin'ichi's mother and bullied the shit out of Takeyoshi? And to think, I was hoping our future battle was going to be extremely hard."

Well that certainly got his attention, he pulled out the thumb, stood back up straight and started ranting angrily as Naruki kept smiling for some reason: "Now listen here you pussycat! I don't need any pity from you! I don't need anything from you thieves! You wrecked my mansion, ruined my swimming pool and dinner, you turned my jackass into that thing, and now you want to help me!? Forget it you dumb sons of bitches! I'll see to it myself that I get my treasure back!"

Shadow Monigami walks into the distance for about a couple seconds and then screams as he runs back to us and falls to the ground. Liger chuckles a bit as he points his thumb embarrassingly at him. Shadow Monigami dusts himself off as we all stare at him awkwardly. It would appear that he has successfully cheered us up again. "Well?" Naruki looks at Shadow Monigami with a smirk as Shadow Monigami is hesitant to ask for help...

"Grr…. Fine! I could use a little assistance getting my treasure! But this does not mean we are friends! That goes for you too Takeyoshi! Just because I'm scared to death of your face, doesn't mean I'm not gonna buddy up with a squirt like you!" Takeyoshi smiled upon seeing Monigami asking for their help, because even he knows by now that this guy was seriously messed up. This was the perfect opportunity to redeem himself, and he shows it with confidence: "Fair enough. I just hope we don't run into that bull again, it looked creepy."

"Relax young one, the bull can't get us in here… I think…" Akiyo sounds a bit unsure but I had to get the crew back on their feet after that: "Well, standing around here won't do us any favors. Let's get going." Scalawag scouts ahead as Shadow Monigami looked at Liger with disgust: "Also, I really hate this cat."

"Glad I could help, now what the heck is this place anyway?" Liger smiles even though that was an insult, maybe he's still chuckling from the humiliation he saw from Monigami. Scalawag looked at us with awe as he got our attention: "Whoa! Guys, you might wanna check this out!"

We looked out from the stone hallway and saw something that looked exactly like a dream. All of Monigami's favorite things were orange silhouettes floating through the purple illusionist sky, I could hear his voice saying all kinds of stuff that relates to his personality, the ground was also purple and it felt a bit mushy, like the human brain. Shadow Monigami cleared his throat and introduced us to this strange sight…

"This is the Temple of Family. It's the big thing that ties my Palace to the floor. Unlike the Palace above, which represents everything I love, a Temple represents the feelings the ruler would rather hide underneath all of their desires. A Temple only physically appears whenever the ruler is in great peril, something like a negative change in Cognition, this'll cause my damn Treasure to manifest itself inside here! The only way I'm going to get my Treasure back is to endure my own disgusting past self! Wait… why am I even telling you jerks about this stuff!? I shouldn't have to explain anything to you motherfuckers!"

"So the Palace represents who they are, but the Temple represents who they were?" Siren was still amazed with the concept of the depths of the human mind, especially with all of these shapes flying around that represent the more positive side of Monigami. This alone just proves that even though someone has negative emotions, this feels like the only place where it feels strangely calm and relaxed compared to the rest of the Palace.

"Whoa! I didn't know you liked hot dogs, I love hot dogs!" Scalawag says while looking at the shape of a hot dog. Shadow Monigami rolls his eyes before getting our attention: "If you morons are done looking at the yucky positive side of things, I'd suggest you take a look down there…"

He points straight ahead, and we see these Shadows that looked naked and more human-like, but they were completely engulfed in black with a mask that has a twisted expression, like the ones that those serial killers wear in horror films. I felt a bit frightened by their appearance as their feet dragged along the ground slowly like a zombie. They looked at a strange pod, and then one of them opened it up to reveal a physical manifestation of one of Monigami's desires.

It was an alcohol bottle, as to be expected since we learned that he liked alcohol a long time ago, but the bottle itself felt blank and empty with no label at all. Just an ordinary bottle with green paper wrapped around and the brown liquid contained inside it. Suddenly, one of the Shadows pulled off their masks while screeching in pain as a mouth-hole was forming.

The mouth barfed a strange black substance all over the interior of the pod, filling it up until the bottle was completely gone. The pod then closed itself as it started to shake a bit, and then… POP! That pod exploded as the ground slowly absorbed the black liquid as the temple shook a bit while we heard Monigami's screams fill the temple while the place slowly fell apart. We looked around, every Shadow in this Temple was doing the exact same thing to the other pods. This led us to believe that they must be trying to turn what positive traits Monigami has into pure darkness.

"Shadows? What are they doing here?" Gremlin asked. "Not just any Shadows, these Shadows weren't originally made by yours truly. These sons of bitches are trying to cover up my good memories with their sludge, so I can't use them to comfort myself, if those numbskulls get their slimy little fingers on my Treasure…!" Shadow Monigami told us while fearing that the temple might shake again.

"T-Then, your real self will never get any better!?" Siren concluded with a disturbed look on her face. Monigami smirks and then points to her: "You catch on quick, for a whore." Siren blushed to that response as she looked away in shame.

"Guys, we need to stop those Shadows from reaching the treasure and Monigami's other memories!" I said with confidence in myself. "What's the plan?" Liger asked as Gremlin came up with one: "We'll split up. We'll go after the Shadows since we're more used to combat. Scalawag will escort Monigami to the treasure."

"What!?" Both kids shouted as Scalawag looked at Monigami with regret and panic, while he looked at Scalawag with fear and anger… "But guys, I almost killed him! How can you trust me with a bully after what I've done!?" Scalawag worried about his sanity, after that nightmare of a maze, he felt like he became a monster...

I had to help him get over his regret if he wants to help us, so I looked at Scalawag through the eyes of a hero and gave him encouragement like I always did: "Look, if you two want to save this Palace, and then change his heart, you'll have to put your differences and fears aside and work together! I'm counting on you Scalawag, now's the perfect opportunity to redeem yourself!"

Scalawag was still a bit nervous about helping, but he knew that he had to become someone better than himself, so he nodded: "Hero… are you sure I'll be able to control myself?" "I know you can." I tell him as he begins to smile while regaining his confidence in himself.

Shadow Monigami knew exactly what answer he wanted as he aggressively pointed at Scalawag: "Oh no! You worthless cunts aren't making me pair up with this bull! And there's nothing you can say to change my fucking mind!" Liger walked over to Monigami as he put his big cat paw on his shoulder and smirked: "Well it's either him or me, and trust me, I am not one to be messed with…"

Gremlin whispers into Monigami's ear like it was a good thing: "The cat's got a point…" this scared Monigami into running over to Scalawag as his stubbornness kept conflicting with the screams we keep hearing in the Temple: "Okay! Okay! I'll go with the stupid bull!" "Let's go guys. We have no time to lose!" I rally the four up as we dashed full speed into the Shadows while Scalawag and Monigami went a different direction through a small hole near an unopened pod and a broken pod.

The four of us rushed the Shadows and pulled off their masks. They took the form of two of Monigami's least favorite things, which makes sense seeing while the top has delusional Shadows, this one has more fearful Shadows. A fishing related Shadow, which means he hates fishing, and an energy related one, that means he hates exercise. These Shadows must have taken the shape of Monigami's worst fears in an attempt to drive him into fear. We can't let something that cruel happen to him, or else he'll be crushed by the trauma and be unable to confess the truth! We pull off our masks while Liger roars as we call upon our inner strength.

**"Go Hercules!"**

**"Rock and roll 'em! Gizmo!"**

**_"Awaken, Ariel!"_**

**"Striped Namean!"**

Our Personas rise up in a blast of fury! Hercules swings his mighty fist and smashes the fishing monster, Gizmo and Striped Namean bite down hard on the energy monster. Ariel uses her mermaid breath to create a bubble barrier for each of us so that we can withstand one attack each from more approaching Shadows. They heard the commotion and started running extra fast towards us with growling noises and screams that sounded very psychopathic.

As we keep fighting, my confidence keeps rising up to the point that I don't feel even the slightest amount of fear. I placed my faith in Scalawag, he knows exactly what to do and I believed in his skills. We couldn't afford Takeyoshi lashing out on his bully again, but alas, we must buy them enough time to go in, get the treasure, and leave! Things have never been this risky for us, we can't lose now! One little slip up will spell doom for Monigami's mental health...

* * *

**[T.A.K.E.Y.O.S.H.I]**

Everything I have been through was leading up to this moment. I'm not sure what I thought of it at first, but now I'm ready for anything. After I single handedly defeated the real Monigami, my friends and I celebrated our victory at my place. My place was perfect for parties like this, and anyone my age can see why in a second…

The room is mostly blue, my favorite color, with all kinds of toys and posters of whales scattered around on the dresser. A wooden bookshelf is filed with all kinds of books about things I might want to learn about later. The floor has one big rug with one big whale in the middle, and my fluffy bed may be a little messy, but I remember to remake it every night.

My friends and I brought the stuff to celebrate our victory against Monigami. Reo brought the huge chunks of ice cream, as well as the cones and those delicious nuts. Yuki brought a boom-box with pop music blasting at full volume. My parents don't mind if I make noise, but if it's an emergency we'd have to scream extra loud in case of one. For some reason, Hakaru, Jin'ichi, Akiyo and Junko didn't show up to the party. Oh well, they must have other plans.

"I must say Takeyoshi, I never should've doubted your skills." Yuki said while munching on some frozen strawberry yogurt he had for himself. "Yeah! You showed that Moni-dummy, and now he's never gonna bother us again!" Reo hogs an entire chocolate tub to himself, I would've stopped him, but I think they deserved the fun. We were all under Monigami's little thumb and we couldn't do anything to stop him, but now here we are, celebrating our victory!

"Aw that's nothing, one time I squashed an entire mob of Shadows with a whale!" I boasted while licking my store-bought ice cream cone. Yummy… "A real whale? How big was it?" Yuki wondered as he paused for a second. "Very big!" I answered while my strawberry ice cream was slowly lowering itself into the cone.

"That's amazing! Your tall tales keep getting more and more wild!" Reo says with food in his mouth. That's right, as far back as I can recall, I've established a reputation as a pro story-teller! People would gather around to see me tell things that feel true, but they aren't. But nowadays, since Monigami showed up, I pretty much just tell these stories in private. I would tell them I'm a Phantom Thief, but I have to stay under the radar in case the Phantom Thieves bloom in popularity.

"Yeah! And thanks to my dad, the expert-blacksmith, and thanks to my mom, the origami-mistress, I'm proud to say that I've finally got my revenge on Monigami!" My friends clapped as I raised my sword into the air, I could've told them about the team that made this possible, but they're having too much fun to know who I'm hanging with, and I'd bet they wouldn't want to be around them anyway.

So after that, we ate some popcorn while watching the same sci-fi movie we watched when we were starting out as friends. Reo got brain-freeze from the food he ate, Yuki took his time to explain the same dramatic plot twists every time. And then we all simultaneously went to sleep. I had some nightmare that my real team was in some sort of maze, and then we were eaten by this big black cow who was chasing us, but that's not going to happen!...

How stupid was I to ignore it. I could've just paid attention and warned the crew about what's coming, but no, my ego was inflated like a balloon you'd win in the carnival. As a result, when I heard from the crew that Monigami's Palace was still there, I wanted him to pay the price for spawning that place. Everything in that kid's mind is delusional, why should I care if his Palace is back? If anything, I just didn't get the message clear to his head. He was a pathetic piece of scum on the face of the world, and I wanted nothing to do with this.

Even when I was told I might get revenge on his Cognitive self, and after I was informed that the Palace had gone haywire, I still wanted no part with this silly adventure. Why waste time going into somebody's head, when the real world brings the best result? That was what I thought before the team told me that killing him, or scaring him to death wasn't exactly the best option. I felt regret for doing something that horrible to him, and that just made me the bully instead of him. And what's worse, as the result of my actions, the mansion felt empty and abandoned like a warehouse filled with normal boxes.

I went through a maze, almost like the one in my dream, with walls covered in gold paint that looked like someone just said 'Ah who cares' and then just splashed gold all over the walls. There's all kinds of stuff jammed into the walls, I tried making a game out of it, but I was too surprised to try. This maze was created when I pushed myself too far, this must mean we'd have to get to the bottom of this to help Monigami's Shadow deal with it.

When we reached a dead-end, I saw Doll-Hakaru's head, jammed into a wall, with only one eye and his face frowned like Jin'ichi's Mom's doll. I couldn't believe I would do something like this, Doll-Hakaru was one of my favorite things about Monigami's mind, why did I just give him up!? I knew something was wrong with him when one of Akiyo's charms was on the floor in the mansion, but I never thought it would lead to this! But things got worse, very very worse!

I saw Shadow Monigami, panicking at my sight and he told me I was a bull. What kind of bull!? That's when it hit me, you can't spell 'Bully' without 'Bull' right? Well, whatever it was I thought about in my dream came true! The maze, the running, and the cow! Only it wasn't a cow, it was a literal bull! A bull the size of a whale, with shaggy fur and horns sticking out of my old hat. And when I took a look at the face, I froze. I never thought I could be so terrifying until now, the nightmare I had was completely right!

I couldn't do anything but watch as my friends failed to defeat this unstoppable creature. I eventually closed my eye and shivered in fear of the bull-y I became, and when I became unfrozen, I felt every amount of fear that Monigami had felt when I made that cold hard stare into his brain. I cried, not because of what I've done, but what I became. Monigami now thinks of me as the bully, and the tables have turned for the worst…

Akiyo came to cheer me up. She hugged me, it felt like my mother, and she used a charm to get me to calm down more. She stroked my hair as she said with her calm soothing voice: "Shh, it will be alright my child. You didn't mean to make him think like that, I know you wanted vengeance, but being aggressive won't solve your problems. There's no need to fear what you've become, all that matters to you now, is that cute little smile on your face."

"B-But, Monigami…he's…I...It's all my fault…!" "Do not fear little one, everyone has their corrupt moments. I once had motives as bitter as you were, with the mindset of a divine punisher, I was almost about to do what you had done, until you saved me. If it weren't for your wonderful way with words, I would still be just as cruel as you were back there. There is only one way you can save yourself from ruin now that you have sinned; You must overcome your bitter hatred for Monigami and help him just as we have helped you."

Another speech, this time by the very lady I helped just a few days ago. She managed to cheer me up enough to hug her, but I still didn't feel well enough to overcome myself. I just wasn't ready to face the bull again, but when the team was forced to split up, they paired me with Shadow Monigami. I had to work with my archenemy while the rest of the team fought against the Shadows inhabiting this place.

There's no doubt about it, I had to fight the bull again, this time all by myself. I wanted to help the others beat up Shadows, I liked doing that, but everyone's counting on me, I wasn't ready to let go of that trust just yet! So despite my feelings against it, I had to help Shadow Monigami recover his treasure so he can turn this place back to normal.

I was not used to helping an enemy, but seeing him like this made me feel sorry for the chubby kid. It actually reminded me of my first days of being bullied. I was crying and shivering just like he was now, I knew right there and then that the one I called 'Bully' needed my help more than ever. Every good relationship starts with an apology, unfortunately Monigami keeps his distance because he's still afraid of me. There must be some way I can get him to snap out of this fear, but how?

"Monigami, you said your Treasure was the key to fixing this mess… why is it though?" I wonder, but Monigami is still shivering in fear: "Um… promise me you will not turn into that fucking bull? I can't stand it!" "Oh heck no! I'm through being mean to others because they were being mean to me! If there is nobody that's gonna stop that bull, then it's up to me to protect you from it!" I feel like Hero right now, he entrusted me with escorting Monigami, and I won't let anything happen to him before we take the treasure!

"Okay… I learned about this through rumors and the occasional Mementos news station: As a way to comfort the rulers of Palaces, whenever their rule is in grave danger, a Temple will appear that'll contain their Treasure. It's up to the current ruler to do whatever they can to do a Palace-reboot using their treasure." He says a bit shaken, still a bit untrustworthy of my will.

"Palace-reboot?" I asked, and he nodded. "If the treasure is grabbed here, then the real self will remember that desire, and the whole Palace turns back to normal!" "Wow! And then we're supposed to steal it ourselves when the Palace is normal again, right Monigami?" I said amazed as Monigami got a little mad for that statement...

"What!? No! After the Palace is fixed then the treasure will disappear again unless I know when it's going to be stolen! My god, sometimes even you can be stupid enough to plan against an untrustworthy person like myself…" His rage would normally make me shiver in fear, but when your enemy becomes a nervous wreck because of you, it makes you miss the way they once were: "Oh man, doesn't that just remind you how much of a jackass I was?" I smiled at him as he began to feel like his old self again, I'm starting to cheer him up!

"Hey… that actually felt good! I've completely forgotten how fun it was to pick on you Takeyoshi! You know what? I think that bull is just nothing but a big old piece of shit! It has your ugly mug on it, so I'm not that scared of it!" "So Monigami, you've finally gotten over your feelings of the bull?"

Shadow Monigami smirked, that devilish feeling of his was a sight for sore eyes: "Hell, if that thing shows up right now, I wouldn't even be fucking scared of it! You hear that bull!? I'm through being fucked by you, from now on, it will be me who does all the fucking around here now!"

Little did we realize that this section of the temple was big enough for one giant bull to run through. It was purple and mushy, and just as needlessly big as the maze was. Seriously, if Monigami designed this temple, he did a bad job. All of a sudden, kapow! The big black Takeyoshi-bull smashed through the right wall! Rocks fell to the floor as they made the ground move up and down like a big bowl of pudding! We looked up at its cruel face, and it was the same cruel face as before. And now it wants to eat us for dinner!? I didn't even eat the snacks I bought yet!

I was so scared of it last time, combined with all the other bad things I unintentionally did, that I froze up when I saw myself portrayed as the giant cow from my nightmares! But now that I've seen it a second time, and realized my mistake, it's not as scary as before, but it's still got that look that has 'Die' written all over it!

"Oh no! It's the bull!" I shouted as my bull-like self talked back to Monigami, who was just as scared as Hero was back when we first met him… "You don't deserve your treasure…let me put you out of your misery…" I never said that!!! "I was kidding!!!" Shadow Monigami started running for his life as I attempted faced myself once more… before running away myself.

Let me tell you this now, when Monigami heard me sound like that, it was horrifying to his ears because the little worm he thought I was before became a giant spider! When I first heard myself talk like that to me, my heart shattered into a million pieces, how could I've been so cruel!? I never felt so sorry for myself in my life, the team was only trying to help me become someone better, not lash out against someone who doesn't deserve it…

We both ran down the hallway as fast as we could as the bull was trying to keep up as I continuously fired my cannon at the beast! It may not work that well, but it's great for a little speed boost! Just then, we see a bright light straight ahead. It was coming from up those stairs and on top of that pedestal!

"It's the Treasure! My lucky two thousand yen bill!" "Two thousand yen bill!? That was the big treasure?" "Jealous much?" He smirked a bit as we both ran up the stairs as fast as we could.

The bull roars as it stomps on the floor hard as it knocks Monigami down the stairs and near the bull's giant feet! It stomps down on top of Monigami ensuring his doom and I stopped before I could grab the Treasure. "OH SHIT!!! Don't just stand there you stupid fuck, grab the treasure!!!" He screamed both angry and afraid. I looked at the treasure, and then at him, but I couldn't just make him suffer any more than he already has.

If I did take the treasure, that'll consume him in fear, and he might die for real! I didn't want this, I never wanted any of this to happen to him!! "I-I can't do it! You don't deserve to die, nobody deserves it!!" "What the fuck is wrong with your motherfucking head!? I spilled my drink on you, I punched you, I scared you, I took your money, and I threatened Junko, why the fuck are you thinking that I'm not evil!?"

I shake my head in response: "I'm not saying you aren't evil. But, if you die now, then your parents will hate my family and friends for the rest of their lives. It's like what I've said before, human lives mean everything, and right now, you matter the most to me…" I stood up as I looked at the bull who tried to intimidate me with my own words…

"You brought this on yourself. He didn't know you would snap, and because of this, he now fears you as the monster you are. Why do you insist on helping him, after all that he's done…?" "Because bull-me, I never wanted him to die like this! At first, I thought that violence in the real world would make him stop, but that only made things worse! There's no way that I'll kill him now, because that'll make me no better than he ever was!"

Shadow Monigami looked at me in disbelief, he never thought his own enemy would say something like that, and he tried to deny it with the hoove against his chubby stomach: "Takeyoshi, you goddamn fool, why…!?" The bull-me looked at me twitching, knowing too well that I might do something to retaliate…

"Don't be stupid. You wanted him to die all along. You can't deny the pain you made him feel, not after what he did to you. If you won't kill him, then allow me to eat the leftovers on my plate…" I never thought I could make leftovers sound intimidating. I watched the bull open my mouth wide enough to hold a small house! It was going to eat him unless I did something about this! But, if I steal the Treasure now, then his Palace will be gone, but I'll never get a chance to say goodbye to Doll-Hakaru…

I remembered all the bad things that he's done, but they were no longer enough to make me hate him as much as I did before. My choice was clear. I wasn't gonna let me eat Monigami like this! This was about saving his life, not making him suffer! I dashed down the stairs and fired my cannon at the bull's mouth. I imagined the cannonball to be big enough to fit my mouth, and sure enough, it actually worked!

The bull's mouth was stuffed as he tried to spit it out to no avail. I grabbed Shadow Monigami's arm and helped him on his feat. "Are you okay?" I asked him. "No! That bull is going to spit that fucking choke hazard out any second now!" He was still shivering upon the sight of the bull, but I knew what to do: "Don't worry, I'll finish him off in one big attack!" I said with a determined expression on my face.

I threw my sword as high as I could, I held my hands out in front of me and closed my lone eye. I pictured the sword that was flung into the air as something entirely different. With all my might, I called out as the sword began to glow a bright yellow…

**"Oh magic sword... turn into a giant whale!!"**

The sword turned giant as the metal slowly converted into the blubbering skin of a humpback whale. I did my best to think big, so I pointed my fingers at my head to amp up the thinking power! The whale was suddenly even bigger than the bull and it crushed it like a giant pancake! The whale turned back into a sword as the bull went unconscious and was starting to disappear in a black sludge. Shadow Monigami was shocked that a kid like me actually saved his life, I was more surprised that I actually saved my enemy's life.

"Huh!? I did it! I fought myself, all by myself! I can't wait until the others get a load of me now!" I boasted proudly as I noticed Shadow Monigami, still in shock upon seeing what happened. I looked at him with a smile on my face, he still was trying to process what just happened...

"You… saved me? But why!? I'm the bully who tormented you for so long, aren't you fucking pissed at me!? You should've let me die!!" I nodded my head as I spoke in a calm manner, something I never did in a long time with him: "Yes. But not enough to see you suffer."

He looked back and forth between me and the treasure, he angrily punched my side, but not enough to make it hurt: "Why aren't you taking the Treasure!? It's literally right there dammit! Just end it already so you could get your revenge!!"

I chose not to grab it, it's too early to get the treasure: "I'd rather do it right, when you have control over the battleground. Remember, if I take it now, then you'll be consumed by fear. No one deserves to suffer, especially if the suffering means that the Palace looks like this! I honestly loved your Palace, the pool, the food, and even the ball pit reminded me so much about you. I want to make things right, not make things worse…"

He twitches and threatens to punch again, but I don't budge, I'm not afraid of him anymore, but I'm not vengeful either, just glad that he's slowly becoming his old self again: "Seriously!? You're just going to let me have what I want!? Do something before I do it for you!!" "No. Don't you see, you've always done things that let you have what you want. I don't want this to be the exception, take the Treasure for now, but we'll be back for it soon. If I were you, I would expect another visit from us, my friends and I will be ready for you. Good luck!" No way am I going to ruin Monigami's change of heart for us, I've caused enough pain to know when to stop.

He tried to assume otherwise, but realizing that I'm now perfectly alright with him taking what's rightfully his, he started to loosen his fist and smirk at my foolishness: "What…? You're really stupid enough to let me take my Treasure back…? You know… you aren't exactly the jackass I thought you were… but that doesn't mean I think of you any higher than that! Compared to me, you are nothing but a little dog begging for mercy!" "I can live with that. Now grab your Treasure Monigami! We'll be waiting for you." I said calm and collected.

"Fine. I guess I will be expecting you tomorrow, make sure you tell my real-self about this..." "Thank you bully!" I say proudly. Normally this would annoy me, but I guess even the most undeserving people need a second chance…

"Stop it. I don't need your pity! I'll fucking kill you if you don't stop Takeyoshi!" "I wouldn't want it any other way Monigami…" Monigami looks a bit embarrassed, which is a good thing for us. To think that this is Monigami's true self, he's starting to show small amounts of change, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

He slowly climbs up the stairs and grabs his bill and kisses it as I watched him with respect in my heart. Who would've thunk? One moment I was trying to kill Monigami, the next I suddenly realized why Hakaru wanted to help him. He may be bad, but he wasn't always this way. I guess this was what he meant by saving those who couldn't save themselves. As far as I can tell, we're not exactly thieves, we're heroes through and through.

Suddenly the entire place started shining with a bright light. A large flash happened that knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, we were back in the club house. The others were just as unconscious as I was, so I can wait to tell them what just happened back there! But even so, I still couldn't help but feel sorry for the way I acted yesterday and earlier today, but I've got a feeling that this won't be the last time I'll be able to do stuff like this.

I'll make everyone proud. My friends, my team, my family, they all believe in me. Don't get me wrong, I still kinda don't like Monigami, but it's not to the extent that I want to kill him anymore. I know what happens to those who suffer by the hands of the suffered, and it's completely and utterly terrifying! I don't want to end up as a bully myself, but that doesn't mean I can't do what I do best: Help people who have suffered, even with those I can't agree with! I may not have a rebellious spirit, but I know that if my friends count on me, I'll count on them too!

* * *

**[H.A.K.A.R.U]**

Ow, what just happened? The last thing I remember was me trying to punch a Shadow in the face, when all of a sudden, a bright flash knocked us unconscious. We all somehow ended up back at the clubhouse all safe and sound for some reason, but I'd bet I knew exactly why I'm suddenly on my rug. As we started to come around, Takeyoshi was already awake and happy to see us. Not in an exciting way, but rather a perfectly calm and collected way. We've almost never seen him like this before, which confused us for a second until he cleared things up.

"Um… guys? Why are we back at the clubhouse?" I wondered while I checked my face to see if it's still okay. "I think we've been ejected from the app…" Jin'ichi said scratching his head. "Or rather, the app shut itself off when Monigami got the treasure right?" Akiyo says while also starting to come around. "That's right. I defeated the bull all by myself using a giant whale!" Takeyoshi cheered as I felt a little cheated.

He managed to defeat the bull with a whale, while my powers didn't do jack! But still, I'm impressed he handled this whole thing by himself, in fact I couldn't be any more proud of the little guy. He fought himself and won, and knowing that made me smile for him.

"You really love whales don't you?" Naruki rolls his eyes like it's impressive or something. "They're my favorite animal, next to ligers." Takeyoshi winked as Akiyo smiled with her hands clapped together: "Aw…" Naruki blushed a bit before pushing Takeyoshi away: "Whoa boy, don't get too close and personal…"

"So, about the Palace, you think it's going to turn back to normal?" I was a bit concerned as I looked at the app cautiously. "I hope so, I don't want this to be the last time I see Doll-Hakaru." Takeyoshi said being a bit hopeful. He smiled knowing he just saved his arch-enemy, and even though Monigami is a spoiled brat, someone just has to save him from the life he was living.

We noticed Jin'ichi didn't say much, mostly because he was on the phone with someone. He looked at us using a confused expression because someone special had called him: "Um guys? HEX just called, he wants us to meet with him in the usual spot." Jin'ichi said scratching his head after he was on the phone shortly after waking up.

"Wait… he called you!?" A call from a mysterious guy like him doesn't exactly spell good in my book, Akiyo seems to agree with me as she was just as concerned as I was: "I noticed he wasn't exactly sociable, but why a call?" "Dunno, must be something important." Jin'ichi shrugged like he doesn't know how HEX works, I feel your pain dude.

"Maybe for you, but I'll just sit this one out. No way am I getting cramped into that box again." Naruki relaxed himself on the rug as Takeyoshi jumped up and down excited to meet him again: "Oh boy! I wonder what he's going to tell us!"

We humans ran on over to the usual spot, we saw HEX in the same position he's always in, next to a wall looking completely like a homeless dude. But this time, he looked a bit mad, I looked away in fear thinking we did something wrong. He pointed to Takeyoshi and spoke in that same unhinged yet soothing voice, only slightly less friendly this time…

"You. You purposely tampered with Monigami's Palace just so you could have your sweet revenge right?" HEX said coldly, we all felt a shiver up our spine as we knew we felt partially responsible for his behavior...

"I'm sorry HEX, I didn't know at the time, I was just so focused on beating the socks off of Monigami, that-" HEX was quick to interrupt Takeyoshi while the kid was upset. "It's okay. You're only a child anyway, if children like you don't learn from their mistakes, they might end up living a horrible life…" phew! He goes back to his regular self like it's nothing, that's a relief that we all felt.

"I assume you helped Monigami fix the Palace by using the Treasure?" "Yeah HEX! And get this, the treasure is a two thousand yen bill!" Takeyoshi informed us. I used what I knew about the economy and realized there MIGHT be no such thing as a two thousand yen bill: "But isn't that kinda illegal?"

"Indeed Hero. But every Treasure is based on how they see it, not what they actually are. Kamoshida had a crown, which came from his medal at the Olympics. Surely, there is more depth to the Treasure than just an illegal piece of paper. There's only one way to find out…" HEX says in his cryptic language that I can barely understand on my own.

"Really? How?" I ask. HEX smiled and told us with a hint of confidence in his usual Stoic tone: "You already established the route, haven't you? Remember the sign that places expectations, the very tool used to enable the Treasure, and with expectation comes the perfect opportunity to strike. Buckle up boys, the first ever heist of the secondary Phantom Thieves is about ready to go." Wait, we actually get to do the heist for real now!?

That's awesome! Although I am definitely unsure if I'm ready to do the real thing, I'm proud that we made it this far. I know for a fact that Takeyoshi personally wants to know how we do things the Phantom Thief way, and now we get to learn a bit more on how to do it!

"Oh boy! What happens then?" "It is simple Scalawag, first you'll have to send the calling card, and enter the Palace like you always do, although it will be a little more secure than last time. Next, take the treasure route you've established." HEX told us without changing his expression even once. "Treasure route? Are you implying the treasure is somewhere beyond the safe room from last time?" Akiyo processed. "Indeed. Once you grab the Treasure, the whole place will fall apart, and you'll never see it again."

"Wait… does that mean I have to say goodbye to Doll-Hakaru…?" Takeyoshi gasped when he heard that, we just got him back and now we have to say goodbye to him for good? That's a bit heartbreaking, even for me.

"I'm afraid so. He is only a figment of Monigami's imagination, therefore if a Palace is gone, then it takes everything else with it. No Treasure, no Temple, no Palace." "Damn. I was just getting used to Doll-Harry." Jin'ichi was a bit angered by the fact that he won't be able to see doll-me again, but I had to cheer up the crowd…

"We won't let you down HEX! For the sake of the world, and me, we'll do everything in our power to save Monigami from his own delusions!" I said with confidence as Takeyoshi wipes his tears away: "Yeah!" Jin'ichi instantly cheers up too as he clearly has an idea on how to make this team more special…

"Hey Harry, if we need to lay lower than low, I'd suggest changing the name of this fun group." "O-Oh, right! If we go around parading in the Phantom Thief name, we'll be in serious trouble!" I said surprised as we tried to think up a new name for our team that won't attract any attention. It took about 10 seconds for Takeyoshi to happily come up with just the thing we needed: "How about, the Phantom Crusaders!"

"Ahh, that name is much appropriate to our title." Akiyo says while I nod in agreement. That name is perfect, it represents our heroic spirit, and although sometimes we can be a little too aggressive, we always do what we can to save both prey and predator. In the end, we're still thieves robbing from a Palace, but we have good intentions the whole time, even if revenge might be one of those intentions.

"I see, so instead of doing this out of revenge, you only seek to help those who can't save themselves?" HEX smiled again, which felt kinda thankful knowing he was glaring at us a few minutes ago. "Oh trust me, there is still a bit of revenge in there somewhere." Jin'ichi swung his arm around as he said with pride. I then add to that statement: "Just not to the point where we go absolutely crazy, am I right?"

I wink at Takeyoshi, and he quickly winks back as he cheers: "Yeah! My first heist as an official Phantom Crusader, I won't let you guys worry about me again. If we can change Monigami's heart, he'll be nicer to people like me! Revenge won't solve my problems, only deciding to do what's right will!"

"You all better be prepared. Takeyoshi has to be the one to send the card, and you have only one chance to swipe the Treasure before it disappears. It's best if you do it in the morning, when he's still busy eating breakfast." We were all really excited for the heist to start, that is until we heard we were doing this in the morning. That's when the others remembered they had plans for the morning...

"Wait… I forgot! My mom always makes me some special breakfast every Sunday!" Takeyoshi said, wow, what a nice mom. "I have church every Sunday where I mentally prepare myself for whatever comes my way." Oh yeah, I almost forgot Akiyo was religious. "And doesn't Harry have a sister to look after?" And there it is Jin'ichi, I'm not complaining or anything, but we need a better time than just 7:00 AM!

"Okay… maybe we should wait until lunch to do the heist…" I said while pressing my fingers together. "Yeah, after my super breakfast I'll deliver the card. I always eat lunch at about 1:00 PM or something anyway." Takeyoshi agreed. "Then it's settled. Takeyoshi gives the card to Monigami after his breakfast, we'll meet up together at 11:50, and strike at 12:00." Akiyo said calmly. "High noon. My favorite time to attack." Jin'ichi smirks and agrees as we now know what time we'll perform the heist, but just to make sure nobody feels left out...

"Make sure you tell Liger about this or else he'll be confused too." "Don't worry Harry, everything's going to be fine. And don't just take my word for it, everyone is helping each other get stronger, and at this rate we'll be able to pull it off." Jin'ichi says with his usual confident attitude, I smile back at them as Takeyoshi smiles again: "I'm just glad I got to share my new experiences with my new friends. Without any of your help, I couldn't have beaten that bull."

"Takeyoshi, you precious boy, I wish you the best of luck on our mission, and please never go psychotic again." Akiyo ensures while keeping a smiling face. Takeyoshi finally realized that we were still, kinda aware of that part and said: "Aw come on guys, you're still not over it? It's no big deal!"

"Normally that's the case, but seeing a kid going nuts like that, it definitely can't be overlooked." Jin'ichi tells Takeyoshi as the kid regains his confidence and reminds us that he knows exactly what to do: "Don't worry about me guys, I know now that too much revenge is a bad thing, and it makes giant bulls with my face on it. From now on, I'll do my best to keep myself under control, so I won't have to go through that again!"

In response to his determination, I smiled, crouched down, put my hand on his shoulder, and said with my encouraging passion: "Takeyoshi Winslow, when you aren't being crazy, you are one of the most reliable kids I've known. With your help, we'll save Monigami!" "I couldn't have done it without any of you. Thanks for giving me a shot." Takeyoshi smiles back as we all feel proud of him for overcoming his anger.

We all hug Takeyoshi as HEX boots us out of the alleyway. We stayed like this for a few seconds, and then we all went home. Jin'ichi and Akiyo seem to have adjusted themselves to the team, Takeyoshi was certainly a surprise that I never saw coming. What started as an innocent kid slowly morphed into a kid who knows of the consequences of brutal violence, and I'm so proud of him.

To my surprise, I found my dad just near the apartment stairs. I looked at the man leaving for work and I saw my dad in a janitor outfit. My dad isn't always the most tidy one, he has a short dark brown beard, light brown eyes that drop dead in a heartbeat, and he's also way taller than I am. People say he used to be a professional baseball player, well he was until his wife died a few months after giving birth to Junko.

He taught us how to defend ourselves from strangers, as well as making sure nobody harms us. He may not always come through in the end, but he is still as tough as a box of nails. Whenever he leaves for his night shift, he expects us to be at home at around 10:00 PM, but I was back around 7:30ish just before he left early.

This means I got lucky this time, he carries advice that would also go to his sister, so that means I can talk to him before he leaves for school. But when you really compare a guy who woke up too early to a lady like her, what's the difference? My mom was smart, beautiful, and a real charmer too. She could get any man she wanted to and even get paid for standing around doing nothing. So what makes him special you ask? Like I said, my sister carries my father's advice and our mother's knowledge, so while she may be the combination of the two, my dad's the guy to know if you want to know some serious street-smarts...

"Dad! You're actually leaving early this time!" I waved at my dad, he just raised an arm: "Huh? Hey son, nice meeting you. How are your new friends doing?" "They're awesome! Jin'ichi is super cool, Akiyo is a peace lover, and Takeyoshi is just the cutest little child." I couldn't tell him about the liger because I don't think he'll let me stay here if there's a wildcat on the loose.

"Yeah, I heard about the school's bad boy, it must be awful seeing a man in this state." I wasn't able to ask him before now, but this feels like a good time to spring it on him: "Tell me dad, before you go to work, didn't you once think of Kamoshida as a superstar? I'm just asking."

"Nope. I always knew that man was going sour once he won that medal. You see Hakaru, the best way to detect a lie from someone is if you realize that somebody's out of character. For example, if I were told you got into a fight, I wouldn't believe unless the wounds are present. And even then, I would still want the truth out of the victim's mouth, and only the victim's mouth. Anyone other than that is unreliable. They only believe what they want to believe, and what they usually believe can be nonsensical, but if it'll keep their own asses in check…oh look at the time. I gotta go." "Okay. Bye dad."

And then he casually walked to the school as I ran up the metal stairs, carefully not looking down, and sitting down while eating some curry that he prepared for dinner. My dad developed his own little way of sniffing out the liars. He used to be a policeman after our mother died, and Junko wasn't even born until 4 years before I lost my friend. Hearing his advice before a big day like tomorrow sure gives me relief, even if the job will get tough, having to know his signature way of seeing through liars sounds like a pretty good skill to have.

I then saw my sister drop in and to her surprise, she noticed I was early. She completely flipped as she realized that I got home way faster than her. I'm personally feeling a little awkward about all this as my chews got slower and slower…

"Hi sis… what took you so long…?" I said awkwardly after swallowing the meal in my mouth as Junko expressed her frustration upon me being fashionably early. She stomped her foot and let loose a childish voice that almost made her sound like a boy: "No fair getting home before me! I was late due to my friend wanting me to watch this new TV show!" "Um, what's it about?" Junko suddenly became happy again, as if she was waiting for me to ask that, she does this all the time.

"It's called 'Circus Fantasy'! It's a show about a group that can perform any kind of circus act, any style of circus, anytime! In the first episode, they wowed the crowd by doing a full original circus act!" A suggestion-fueled circus, I can't wait to see that, but I have something more serious to address…

"Sounds exciting! But can I ask you something?" "No, they don't have boobies yet." Hey! That is very immature of you young lady! Out of all the things she would say, this definitely caught me off guard! I nearly spat out my food when I heard that: "W-What!? T-That's not the question! I've been meaning to tell you about Monigami! What did you think of him?" And then I just reminded her of yesterday...

"Oh, that? I think he's a jerk, he only cares about money, bullying... and money. He once called me a snake because I was always outsmarting him, but he still wouldn't take the fall. But did you see the way Takeyoshi saved me from him? He was stupendous! And you taught him everything he knows? That makes me think of you like a pro superhero passing his techniques down to the young!" I was hoping I didn't remind her of yesterday, but I guess with an optimistic attitude like that, it can't be helped... "Uh yeah. That was back then, are you sure you'll be alright during our surprise summer road trip?" I asked her as I stuffed more curry into my mouth.

"I'll be just fine, big brother. It's only a month or two away anyway, but he could do it when we least expected it. I'm just so excited for our trip! Let's hope we don't bump into boobies!" Again!? Seriously, stop bringing up boobies, you're trying to make me blush myself to death! "Wah!? S-Shut up!" I shouted!

I finish my curry as fast as I can and I quickly go to the bathroom to hide from her. I was breathing deeply with my back against one of the walls. You see, I have a serious problem with anything remotely related to sexy stuff. I accidentally went to a 'private club' once, I was never the same man after that. Now whenever I see something remotely sexy, I panic like crazy! Good thing Monigami treats even the woman like he does to the men, because I don't even want to know what kind of shit he's been put through to not like women like men do.

Eventually I calmed down enough to watch the new show she wanted me to watch, she recorded it at home in case she wanted to see it again. It was actually pretty entertaining, it had clowns, horses, everything an old circus would have. And what circus would there be without a ringmaster? A chubby one at that, he was wearing the black clothing of a ringmaster in his thrilling circus of wonders. His smile reminded me of the happy shows I used to watch as a kid.

"Welcome to the Circus of New-ity! Where you wonderful folks at home can tell us what kind of circus we should do next! Just send your letters to this address, or e-mail to this one, and we'll do any kind of circus you please!" He says with wonder and with a grand tone in his voice.

Words flashed on the screen as Junko was just finishing her letter. A circus that could do anything huh? That sounds like fun, but how am I supposed to get to the circus like this? I have to remain focused on the mission at hand, first we'll deal with Monigami, and then we'll- hey! Where's Junko? Oh, there she is, she just finished sending the fan letter.

"I'm telling the ringmaster to do a circus that only has Acrabella the Magnificent!" "Huh?" "I know how much you like her…" Oh... that's right, I didn't start staring at the screen until midway through when they introduced a tall girl who never stopped smiling as she carefully got the tiger over the hoop!

"Oh… you noticed…? When's the next episode?" "Next week!" "I was hoping you didn't say that…" I said knowing that we just might see an Acrabella themed circus...

And so after replaying our favorite moments of the show, like the trapeze and the elephants, we went to bed on a high diving note. Junko was fast asleep, while I simply tried my best to stay awake before succumbing to darkness. Truth to be told, I was scared to death of sleeping because I keep worrying that I'll get another dream about Igor and those two wardens. I don't want to wake up looking all black and white again! But strangely, they haven't been visiting me in quite a while since I denied my 'rehabilitation', what's up with that?

Well, I might as well get my sleep for tomorrow. The big heist is coming up, and now that me and my team are at our best, we'll be more ready than ever to steal Monigami's heart! So this is what a Phantom Thief is like: student by day, hero at mid-day, and regular human by night. This is kinda like a superhero, and the name and secret lair are just proof that I really am becoming a better hero than I thought! I'm helping not just myself or the Palace Rulers, I'm also helping my new friends 24/7, helping them become the people they are today!

When I wake up tomorrow, by the sound of my dad snoring, I'll be readier than ever to defeat Shadow Monigami! Still, I couldn't believe I would get this far. I learned how to rebel at the pool and when not to rebel at the dinner table, I was being triggered into being braver more often than usual, and my sister and I are getting along better even better than before.

I think it's safe it's say, I love being a hero, and I hope this helpful feeling in my heart never goes away… or at least it doesn't go away while I'm doing exams, I have plenty of stuff to do on my own y'know, and I've got a feeling that balancing both daily and phantom life will be beneficial for both sides! If being a human being is what it takes to be better at my job, I'll happily go to sleep to something like that!


	7. C1 (Semi-Final): The Girl, Cat, and Punk

**(A.K.I.Y.O)**

So far, this has truly been quite the bizarre turn of events. Never before have I decided to join a boys club and be just as motivated as they are. Awakening to my Persona was quite the thrill, it inspired me to forbid the use of corrupt charms and use what I knew about spirits to the team's advantage. Nowadays, I can sense both pure and corrupt sides of a human, no matter how impure they are, I can always find that light within them.

The same could be said about my visits to church, it used to be just the Sunday schools, but when I got old enough to grow out of it, I always went to the church with my mother. She uses religion as her motive to craft medicine, or rather drugs, for the good people of the world. I'm far past that business now, but I always feel that pure warmth upon entering those wooden doors. The seats were wooden, which felt very smooth and comfortable to me, and the glass windows, they were a sight to behold.

All of those many colors, swirling around and forming beautiful shapes, it gave me a spectacular sight to watch as the preacher talked about God, and I still never got tired of it to this day. I always took the train to the church, but when I tried it after I gained my sixth sense, there was too much of both to gain a clear head.

As a result, I was forced to get there by car, the windows of my rental vehicles helped a little to keep the impurities away. Now that I have developed my power to tune in into everyone's light, I take the crowded train and I don't mind a thing about it. Amongst the people who go to this church was Hifumi Togo, the Shogi queen. Her long black hair signifies a small but meaningful relationship, but I refused to make a move or else she'll think I'm weird in my current predicament.

Everyone who had gone to church was pure, which created a bright field of light around me. Any sign of corruption would be the black sheep in the herd, I can tell because of the corruption I once endured. The main reason I had awakened that day was because I wanted to see that little spark of light grow, and develop into something that is definitely pure.

In spite of my confusion, I managed to get along great with everyone. Hakaru is a nice man, he may be shy but his flame burns brighter than the sun when pushed to his limit. Jin'ichi is also a fascinating individual, he thinks he's cool but in reality he's actually a big softie for people like me. Naruki was certainly an unexpected new member, and I must admit that I was a bit surprised myself when the boys brought a real-life liger to the team, but he's just a misunderstood cat who needed to be more than just a lazy pampered pet.

And Takeyoshi, oh my Lord, Takeyoshi was the sweetest little child in the world. He did not deserve to suffer in the maze, even though I felt his corruption when he lashed out against Monigami, I still believed in him no matter what the circumstance. His backstory about the train he was in surely made me want to protect him, especially after what happened to the conductor.

Whoever is planning these mental shutdowns must be very wicked, but I can deal with things like that now. I've chosen to be a pacifist upon my own will, I shan't hurt a Shadow enough to kill, but I will use my own strength to make the others stronger within. That is my rebellious spirit, I choose to rebel with my own will and this is the best I can do with my strength.

Right now, we have a treasure to find, Takeyoshi said it was a 'Two yen bill' which meant it could be incredibly illegal. I might be running a little late, since the church doesn't let out until 12:00 PM. Fortunately, I somehow managed to get out at 9:50 AM then I could take the train to Shibuya and if I'm lucky, I'll get there before high-noon. And sure enough, I did. It's 11:45, and we have yet to enter the Palace. Gathering at the metallic clubhouse, I felt stronger than ever knowing that Monigami will finally atone for his sins.

Rushing in recklessly isn't an option, if we want to save him from corruption, we'd better give it our all. I may find these boys to be quite the handful, but they know exactly what to do when the going gets tough. I placed my faith onto all four of them, I may be the only one who's incapable of fending for myself, but if Takeyoshi can stay brave then I must do so too, for the sake of the world.

With my best charms at the ready, and the team's confidence at a maximum, we all began to dedicate our energy to stop Monigami and purify his corrupt soul and replace it with a beautiful flavor of purity.

* * *

**(N.A.R.U.K.I)**

It looks like I'm the only pet liger in the world, I'm about a year or two old and I don't think I'm stopping at it either. My current life is just the same as the other one, just a bit more careful with a guy like me. I get fed a steak once a day and I have plenty of water and milk to drink just like my previous life. The only noticeable differences were the clubhouse I now live in 24/7 and the fact that nobody has even abused me yet.

I've been told to keep quiet, which is exactly what I'm good at, and whenever I do speak, I taught myself how to meow so nobody gets suspicious. Sure everyone is out and about, and they only check up on me during their meetings at the clubhouse and at night, thus disrupting my privacy, but I'd rather take being alone than being with a bunch of cock-sucking lunatics.

That being said though, in the first few days I got to know the new team, I've gotta say this job fits me like a glove. I have no idea why I turned into 'muscular-buff-mc-cat' or a fucking monster truck, and I'm not complaining about it either. Now I can express my feelings out in the open because these guys are the only ones who can understand me better.

Hakaru may be a coward, but he must have nerves of steel to push himself towards danger like that. Jin'ichi is also kinda a tough guy, after hearing that some bastard named Kamoshida ruined his life, I kinda felt like that Kamoshida was one of those people who would suck a dick and frame that dick for rape. Luckily, those Phantom whatchamacallits 'changed his heart', whatever that means.

The lady was quite the enthusiastic kind of gal, her hugs and touches felt smooth and comfortable and she's too gentle for the world of Mementos Lane. But still, she manages to provide a bit of support such as when I got that sudden feeling of depression. And that Takeyoshi kid? I wasn't there to see him slip into madness, but they managed to set his mind straight. Unfortunately this meant they teleported me back out of the Temple thing, and they cheated me right out of a good hit.

As for me, I honestly don't think I want to die anymore. This whole time, I believed the lies that I was an abomination against humanity. But now that I've awakened to the truth, I still kinda blamed humans for my descent, but at least some humans cared for me.

Maybe once this is all over, I can probably learn to like humanity, that's something I've never been able to do alone. But with these guys by my side, it makes me all the more welcome to do what's right for a change. Oh, here they come storming in and disturbing my privacy. Oh well, this last heist better be a good one. Then I can get back to catching some z's...

* * *

**(J.I.N.I.C.H.I)**

I've gotta say, for a bunch of rookies, we've been doing outstanding so far. We saw some new sights, we had lots of fun, and we learned from our mistakes. I'm quite surprised we managed to get at least that close to Monigami's heart, I never thought I'd become the very team we'd inspired to be, but here we are. In response to the big mission we had, Kaito and I have been gun collecting and tool salvaging so that we're ready for anything.

On that little wooden table indoors, Kaito and I got the goods ready. "I got this from that gun store you told me about, and the business seemed a bit welcomed that I come there every Tuesday. A machine gun model, I hope you like it." I did like it, Daddy-O. The grip of the model feels realistic, it feels pretty tight, and it's perfect for shooting mass amounts of bullets in seconds. "Heh, this thing would be perfect to bring to school, not that I will ever bring one. Say Kaito, is that bazooka you told me about ready?"

"I just managed to piece it all together yesterday, here you go." I've been working hard in my downtime to make life easier for us in the Palace, case in point: the bazooka we've made. It's like a big stinking hole that's shaped like a tube, but it has grips on it like a real gun, it's supposed to shoot rockets and stuff, but we've made sure it won't shoot anything by dismantling the things that make it work.

"Thanks a lot Kaito, these two puppies are going right on my wall." "Wait a minute Jin'ichi, did you like the liger I gave you?" "Yeah! I loved it! I haven't showed him off at school, because I know he won't like it, but I'm taking great care of him!" "I'm glad that you're happy, but wasn't your original plan to take him with you and surprise everyone?" "Nah, he's too pampered to be ready to enter society, he needs to unwind first so that he becomes ferocious enough for the job."

Kaito nods his head as he knows exactly what I'm talking about: "I get yah, you want the liger to be less pampered and more free to be who he is. Those rich people back there sure didn't treat him well, I could smell piss and cum all over the guy." "Exactly, if the school saw something like him, they'd kick us out. I'd give it about a year or two more before I let this guy roam about." "Okay, make sure you keep up on your studying or else the deal is off." "Okay pops."

Remember that little deal we had? It's still going strong, I've lost track of how many days it's been since the change, but I can tell that this was certainly a change for the better. I was already free, I got to do whatever I wanted, but the only thing missing to that smoothie was a hint of love. I never felt like I wanted to protect someone other than the 'poor boys' before, and when I finally snapped, I did it for them. They gave me the reason to snap, and I owed Harry a favor for helping me.

Now after all that, we've still got one last thing to do before Monigami clears his name. Steal that Treasure, and save him from himself. Eventually, the gang gathered together at the clubhouse for one last preparation meeting. Akiyo ran a bit late, due to getting out of church early, but Takeyoshi was prepared. He had that little poker-face of his that told me that he did something good, so I asked him: "What's with the smirk?"

"Oh you guys are gonna love what I did! The idea of a calling card came to my head just this morning, after I was done with my breakfast, I gave the card to Monigami that said: 'Monigami Peroski, the chubby kid of gluttony, you are responsible for turning innocent lives into nothing, causing multiple public faults, and hunted down several rare species for your amusement. This madness will not stand, we'll steal your heart and make you confess your crimes. Signed: The Phantom Crusaders'! How did I do?"

"You did surprisingly well! It almost sounded like an official calling card!" Damn right Harry, that kid already knew what to write down, especially after he showed Takeyoshi the calling card he had for reference. I clapped for the kid as I unpacked the weapons for the heist: "Yeah! Great work kiddo, but I think it's time we got some weapons ready. A big heist like this deserves only the finest of the big guns."

"So, you plan to arm us with weapons because you know how dangerous this place can get?" Akiyo asked while sipping on some lemonade. I could only nod as I gave Akiyo and Naruki their weapons. Harry and Takeyoshi already have their weapons all ready, and I called dibs on the machine gun, but those two need some extra form of protection. So first things first, I gave Akiyo an empty plastic bubble wand I found the other day.

"Here you go princess, if I'm right about this, that wand can harness the power of water and use it to your advantage." Akiyo takes a look at the wand for a bit, she studies its layout and shape, and after a bit she says with a little thankful smile: "Thank you Jin'ichi, I'm sure I'll find this to be very useful, despite its size." Yeah. I could only find the small one for right now, so it'll have to do. She really seems to like it, any other girl would turn me down, but this one seems to like her best choice of weapon.

Now I give the liger the bazooka, and he just looks at it from multiple angles making sure he's not dreaming. "Um… what's this?" Naruki asked while pretending not to care, it looks like this guy has never heard of a weapon before. "It's a bazooka, Shadows are going to be plenty and judging from the texts HEX sent me, I'd say these fake guns look real enough to work." I replied.

Harry immediately praised me after saying that. I'll tell you right now, he is the master of compliments everybody. "Oh I get it! If it looks real, it is real! That's so genius of you Jin'ichi!" "Yeah, I know." I said like a genius would.

Naruki shook his head, as he wondered how he was going to fit that in his mouth: "Um, you'd expect me to use that thing? I think I'd rather stick to my muscles, thank you. Besides, we literally have no time to practice anyway, it's almost high-noon." The cat makes a good point, so I'll just leave the bazooka on the table for now, not that anyone will see it, and let Harry do his thing: "*Gasp* That's right! We have to get back to Monigami's mansion! Just, not too fast okay dude?" Isn't that kinda the point Harry?

So Harry pressed the buttons, and we ended up in that crazy red highway lane once more as we became our alter-egos of the Cognitive World. Takeyoshi puts on his pirate costume and it becomes 10% more pirate once he becomes Scalawag. Naruki stands taller than us and becomes Liger. Akiyo dons her mermaid-like suit as she becomes the mystical Siren. Harry gets a neato super-suit and becomes the Hero.

As for me? I become Gremlin, the badass punk who is always on the verge of breaking. With no time to lose, Liger becomes a monster truck and I stomp on the gas hard. Fortunately, there's no set speed limit, that must be representing that some cops think people can get away with crimes. After the loop de loop, we came to the toll booth only to find the toll guy sleeping on the job with a newspaper on his head.

Annoyed at the slacker, I clapped to wake him up so that he can take our money. But he once again said something quite unexpected with what felt like the dullest voice in the world: "Are you the ones doing the heist? Master Monigami has been expecting you. I'll let you guys in free if it means I never have to sit here again." Damn, this is what people think of toll guys huh? At least he's better at his job than some people.

He then unethically grabs the microphone and announces over the speakers: "Attention all Shadow Selves, who actually go here, please take the emergency exit, a heist is about to happen and I wouldn't want anyone hurt around here. Welcome, for the last time, to the Mansion of Gluttony. A child who acts like a spoiled brat, babysitters gone mad, and more await you inside. The treasure you seek is in the 'Hall of the Gluttonous Pig', secure it and claim your victory… or don't and kill him, it doesn't matter. Just be careful about your enemies, and try not to die."

That was surprisingly better than the rest. I guess he too realizes that we're not holding back. But then he just starts packing his bags while the gate opens, he must really hate his job huh? I floor it again, stopped near the entrance, and nobody got carsick for once. "I'm surprised at you Hero, you didn't even barf once before we came here." Siren sounded like Hero barfing was a regular deal, but then he said with a forced smile: "Don't worry, I emptied my stomach before I came to the clubhouse…"

"So this is it? This is your last visit here?" We looked over to our left, well what do you know, Doll-Harry is back in full swing! Just yesterday we saw just his head screaming in agony, but now look at him. He's good as new, aside from a few stitches and bruises, he perfectly resembled the pathetic state Monigami thought of Harry. But thanks to that invincibility charm Akiyo gave him, he's been holding out fine all by himself.

"It's… Doll-Hakaru!!" Takeyoshi was the first to spring at the guy and he hugged him with tears in his eye. The rest of us followed in on the hugging game as we all felt that familiar fabric sensation we knew from him. "I'm so glad I'm okay. Has anything changed about you since then?" Hero asked while still hugging him with the kid and the lady. Doll-Harry replied, but the more he talked the more frowny he got.

"Well, Monigami thinks of me as a toy that's hard to break, and he only knows so much about you thanks to him eyeballing you every time you stopped at Shibuya to go shopping. He's only seen the cowardly side of you in the real world, when you proved to be a threat, his own thoughts about me started to warp into your own personality. That explains why I'm exactly like you in almost every way. But, why did you save me? I was perfectly fine in my cell, but you guys just kept helping me despite me being a fake version of your friend. Why? I just don't understand, you guys care about me so much, but why do you care for someone as pathetic as I am?"

He pushed away the group hug, but Harry smiled back at him and said in his usual comforting tone: "It's because you remind me of myself when I was scared of nearly everything. I still am today, but to think that this is what Monigami thinks of me, a coward who can't do anything right, that kid needs help. We're not changing his heart because of a mere grudge, we're doing this to save him from his own twisted desires, and to save those affected by it."

"Yeah! I'm more than just a kid you know, I had to learn to stand up to myself and stop myself from hurting Monigami too much. One of the main reasons why I wanted to help him was to see you again like this, and now I want to make sure he turns good, not for my sake, but for his sake as well." Yep, I think Takeyoshi is starting to pick up on his inspirational classes. He's handling this quite well, but Doll-Harry is still in the dark…

"Wait, you guys want to help him be a better person? That's insane, that man can't be stopped with mere words! I'm especially surprised at you Jin'ichi, that guy destroyed your mother's life, and you want to help?!" I nod to that question, this goes way deeper than just revenge, we learned that the hard way...

"Yep. Something tells me he's convincing himself that he loves this life, but we just need him to let go of his desires, that's all." Doll-Harry stops to think for a second, but then he nods shortly after, because he knows how terrible he's become: "Good point, I can't stop you guys from stopping him, but the least I can do is to help you help him. If you guys want to steal his heart, let me rally up the other Cognitions. I'll gather up the dolls and the jackasses, and then we'll see if Monigami can break our spirit!"

Naruki smirks, as he shakes Doll-Harry's flappy hand: "Heh. Don't fall behind though, we've got like one shot at this. We're counting on you." "Speaking of, should we go over the plan once more so that we can truly understand how we'll do this?" Akiyo asked. Harry and I nodded as we began to discuss the plan in its entirety.

I've gotta say, after coming so far, I'm gonna miss having fun here. The pool we swam in, the food we got drunk on, the biggest TV in the world, there's tons of things I'll miss. But I think I'll miss the doll of my mom the most, she felt so real, just like Doll-Harry, and knowing that she was broken was pretty much the most heartbreaking feeling I've had in a long time.

She's counting on me to avenge her, and everyone else who has fallen victim to that kid's twisted desires. Now that I have some new friends to call my own, I'm proud to say that we're going to do this right! It's all or nothing, win or lose, the ultimate showdown we've been inching towards. Failure is not an option, but kicking Shadow butt is one! I believe in you Harry, you've been able to pull us out of sticky situations before, and we've even helped you a little, but now's the time to pull through one more time. You can do this Harry, as far as I'm concerned, we're going all-in baby!


	8. Chapter 1 (Finale): Fall of Gluttony!

The Cognitive World. The place to be when you want everyone's opinion on something. This is demonstrated by the color red that's seemingly everywhere, billboards of the true sides of people, and a place where Shadow Selves live.

But in the real world, these places may look entertaining in the head, but that just shows how corrupt someone is. Take Monigami Peroski for instance, he believes his house is a full-scale mansion, complete with everything to make a spoiled brat happy. With its antique vases on small little tables, to the amusing red carpets that lead in almost every direction. With its astounding white and gold paint job, and the cover-up smell of alcohol and mint air freshener, Monigami Peroski's Palace is a truly unpredictable place indeed.

It's got an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a man-cave with a giant TV and animal heads on the walls, a dining hall filled with alcoholic foods, and even a rainbow colored play-tunnel. These places symbolize the worst traits coming from Monigami, and it's our job to grab the Treasure, destroy the Palace and make him confess his crimes.

We had an opportunity last time, when Monigami was scared of Takeyoshi and the Treasure was wide open, but we helped Takeyoshi realize that revenge isn't everything, because taking the Treasure right there will make Monigami plunge into an even deeper despair. The Palace may be back to the way it was before it was screwed up by fear, but we still wanted the Treasure regardless. And now that the Palace is on high alert, we'd better get ready for the worst he's got.

The date was May 8th Sunday, only a few days until Monigami comes to my apartment and screws with my life. We stood in front of the mansion, well-prepared with everything we've got. In this world, my name is Hero, the leader of the crew. Using my Persona Hercules, and my super strength and flight, I'm able to do the right thing no matter what. Before I became Hero, I was scared to do anything to help others, but once I've awakened, I've never felt any more courageous in my life. I didn't do it alone though, I have my friends to thank me for that...

In the order I've met them: First was Gremlin, he's a pretty wild guy who felt as if he was kinda going soft once he first met me. He promises to be the rough and tough person all those rumors claimed him to be, but even then he was held back. His mother disappeared on him for some reason, we didn't know why she disappeared until much later, where we found out she actually went insane. This drove my friend Jin'ichi to unlock his Persona Gizmo and the power to break apart and put back together.

Next was Scalawag, the youngest of the bunch and the only one of the original team who doesn't have a Persona yet. He may be small, but he has proven to have quite the imagination. He can turn his ordinary pirate costume into a suit similar to ours, his stick turned into a sword, and he even taught it to change into different things like a whale or a baby elephant. Just two days ago, he went too far and caused Monigami to put his Palace into some sort of failsafe, but now he's just as experienced as we are. And it only took almost an entire week to get the hang of this place, I'm so proud of him!

Then came Doll-Hakaru, our unofficial member and tour guide of this place. He looks like me, only more cautious and made of fabric. This alternate me, among the other dolls, represent the babysitters Monigami had or are about to have. He is a part of Monigami's Cognition, but he's actually a nice guy, just like I am. I'm actually surprised Monigami got that part spot-on, because it's the only nice thing about this place, besides the pool.

And over here, we have Siren, the main girl in our little team. She's a nice gal to have around, despite her sexy thief outfit, because she has the strange ability to sense whether something is 'pure' or 'corrupt'. Although it was mainly born due to her being raped, that skill comes in real handy when trying to tell the good apart from the evil. Her Persona Ariel and her super powered charms allowed her to become a true pacifist, and she never lets herself fight Shadows unless she has to.

And then we have Liger, the most unexpected member of the crew! He is a literal liger that used to be some millionaire's pampered cat, but with Jin'ichi's help, we managed to set him straight and made him remember his past self.. His Persona is wild in itself, it's called Striped-Nemean and his Super Fury allows him to become a saber toothed warrior of justice! He can also talk, go figure.

Together, we started off as ordinary Phantom Thieves, but when we knew that revenge won't get us anywhere, and the fact that we seem more different from any of them that we heard about, we officially knew that we were ready for a true name. A name that may steal hearts and desires, but will only do so to save both regular and corrupt lives. We choose to help both sides because, while they may be bastards, we just want to see the good in them. From now on, we called ourselves:

The Phantom Crusaders!

There we stood, we faced the entrance to the mansion with determined looks on our faces and the non-existent wind in our hair. We knew our objective well, and now that the mansion is back in working order, we'll be more ready than ever to steal the desire. We decided to brief on the mission one last time before we went inside, for this is the last time we'll be in a fancy mansion like this. All of us huddled up as Siren went over the plan...

"So let's run through this one last time so that we don't forget. The 'Rest Area' was the farthest we've been in the Palace, and after that is where the Treasure is located. We still have the keys from last time, which makes entering the past rooms much faster. Doll-Hakaru still has my invincibility charm which allows him to roam freely without trouble. So all we have to worry about is securing the treasure for ourselves." "And change his heart, don't forget about that!" I added.

"You know, for rookies like yourselves, you sure know how to make a game plan." Doll-Hakaru said with my voice. "Yeah, we may have started off a bit rusty, but I think we're starting to get how these Phantom Thieves do their job." said Gremlin. "Yep. If stealing a heart is as simple as bashing heads and taking names, this'll be no sweat for us." Liger said with a smirk.

"Oh boy... my first ever heist as an official Phantom Crusader, I can't wait to start!" Scalawag was bouncing up and down, ready for the mission. He kinda reminds me of my sister, he's so energetic, optimistic and pretty fierce when he gets mad.

"Guys, I just want you guys to know, from the bottom of my heart, that I thank you for saving me from that eternal pain of the labyrinth. Now it's my turn to help you, I'll rally up the other dolls and meet you where Master Monigami is." I get it, if Doll-Hakaru can do it, then it probably means all of that karma is about to turn on him...

"It's been an honor serving with me- I mean you." I shake his fabric hand as Scalawag looks at me a bit worried: "Do we have to leave him here? I actually kinda like this version of you. He's floppy, he's a nice guy, and most importantly..." "He's cute. I noticed that, but sometimes you just have to let go of things that can't be with you anymore." Siren comforted. "Trust me kiddo, it's harder than it looks." Liger added.

"But Takeyoshi, overcoming grief and fear is one of the many steps the Phantom Thieves themselves took to be great." said Gremlin. "And Takeyoshi, if we don't do this, my life will be in danger. But remember, this isn't just a mere revenge plot, it's about changing one's heart to save them!" I said with all my heart. "Yeah. I understand that now. Thanks for sticking by my side heroes." I did a high five with Scalawag after he expressed his thankfulness.

"Well!? What are we waiting for!? I'm not gonna just stand here and hug it out, that'll soften me up!" Liger says taping his foot, Gremlin relates: "The cat's right. We'd better move, there's no telling how long we have to steal the Treasure." "Right! Ready to roll team?" I asked the crew.

"Indeed." says Siren with a calm smile. "Hell yeah." says Gremlin with a smirk. "Lead the way leader!" said Scalawag. "Heh. This'll be fun." Liger smirked as well. "See you soon guys, the treasure is just up the stairs and down the hall." Doll-Hakaru said confidently.

"I know, let's do this. Phantom Crusaders, away!" I say over-dramatically, but Siren looked at me blushing at that statement: "That doesn't sound very confident..." Gremlin on the other hand liked my attitude as he cracked his knuckles: "You never change Harry. Let's rumble!"

"You see!? That's how you do a send-off quote!" Liger complained about my attempt of a 'let's go' kind of thing. All I had to say was: "My bad..." embarrassingly. "Enough talk! Let's claim ye booty!" Scalawag says in his cute little pirate tone, I missed it when he talked like that.

We all cheered as we all blasted through the front door using my Super Power. A bunch of the butlers noticed us, and we had to fight them using only our current skills. We brought energy drinks, that's cool, but we'll save our regularly used powers for an emergency, which meant we had to fight using our bare hands. I launched myself at the ones aiming for Doll-Hakaru and took some of them down using my fists, Gremlin gave me a hand by using his trusty crowbar to smack them upside the head.

I looked at myself scratching his head from the double attack, me and Gremlin performed: "Doll me, the path is cleared out from here on, they're too focused on us to notice you." I told myself filled with determination. "Thanks guys. Even though saving me was completely pointless in the first place, I'm still glad that you guys care so much for something so little." Doll-Hakaru says as he runs towards the pool and the jailhouse where the dolls are locked up.

"Eh, that's just how we roll. Now... who's next?" Gremlin says pulling off that psychopathic smirk he was so well known for, I used to be scared of it but it kinda grew on me as time went on. "Over here! Over here!" Scalawag shouted as he signaled us to lend him a hand...

Scalawag and Liger were taking turns fighting a bigger Shadow. The pirate swung his sword and Liger used his claws, added together, these two were doing fine on their own. Gremlin then laughed as he swung his crowbar through the Shadow's head, and Scalawag, who could use his imagination freely now, threw his sticky sword into the air, shouted that it'll turn into a whale, and then the sword turned itself into a giant whale to squish the Shadow. After squishing it, he grabbed the whale by its tail and it turned back into the sword. Scalawag then charged at more Shadows as he kept swinging the sword he had.

Siren on the other hand was having trouble, her style was to play defensive, but because we wanted to save our powers for later, that meant she couldn't use her Persona. She's stuck on the defensive blocking every hit she could endure with her bubble wand, she can't defend herself forever. I dashed right on over and used my Super Power, in an act of emergency, to blast away the surrounding Shadows with a mighty clap! Siren touched my back, which healed me using her power, which doesn't tire her as much as it tires me and Gremlin

"Thanks!" I shouted confidently. "My pleasure." Siren nodded as Gremlin whistled for us and we dashed up the main staircase as fast as we could. On our way up, I remembered the places I've been to. The pool where I learned to rebel, the dining table where we made a mistake, and the man-cave where we discovered Liger's origins. Seeing these places again, even briefly, inspired me to keep pushing forward, regardless of my many fears.

We blasted through one Shadow after the other as we passed the play tunnel, past the safe room, and further down the hallway. The walls were getting distorted as the gold that was on the walls started to blend with the rest of the mansion. We felt like a shining light was going to lead us to the Treasure, but when we stepped into it, what did we see but a bigger staircase with a red carpet!

"Aw what? More stairs!?" Scalawag complained. "How many stairs does this guy have?" I asked myself as I began to think that this guy loves to walk up and down stairs, despite hating exercise. "Look! This goes straight into that bigger building!" Siren pointed to a big silver building right on top of the outdoor segment! It was shaped like some sort of Church with the clocktower included. The building was entirely silver, but the alcohol smell got worse from here, fortunately we can push right through that smell as we identified the extra building's meaning.

"You think that's where the Treasure is?" Gremlin grinned as he looked at the building while scratching his head. "There's no time to think! We gotta move!" Liger shouted as he pointed behind us...

Shadows were coming up from behind, and we had to run for our lives as we entered the wooden building through the glass doors. We shut the doors and ducked away from plain sight before they left to presumingly warn Monigami. "Wow, that was too close!" I said before we looked at the strange scenery of this bizarre building.

To our surprise, this place looks exactly like a church. There're wooden seats lined up in two huge rows, strange glass paintings of Monigami, and two white-cloaked preachers standing in front of a huge golden statue of the rich boy. They seem to be worshipers of some sort, but it took only two seconds for Gremlin to put two and two together...

"Whoa. Isn't that his parents?" "Well, he did say that his parents treat him like an angel..." Scalawag wondered, I was a bit disturbed seeing his parents portrayed like this: "I just thought that banter from before was just him trying to be intimidating." "Yeah? And this is supposed to be intimidating? All I see are people being complete fools..." Liger was being a bit sarcastic with his voice, he's seen people like this before, but apparently he's seen those people enough to know what's going on.

"Remember, we're technically in the kid's brain right now, so naturally this is what Monigami thinks of his own dear parents..." Gremlin clears up. "Oh my, I don't see any signs of purity from these mad cultists. Why do they treat him like God?" Siren questioned while shaking her crossed arms as I felt a sickening pain in my stomach just by looking at them: "I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about this..."

I couldn't tell anything else about these adult figures with the white cloaks on, but they suddenly kept going up and down bowing to the statue as if he was a false god. I knew those parents were crazy, but if Monigami himself and Akiyo were any indication, there's no doubt that these people were completely obsessed with their precious baby. I suppose after the kid drank alcohol, and witnessed Naruki's parent's deaths, they went crazy knowing that they will do literally anything to prove that their child is innocent...

"Our salvation rests in the hands of our Lord and savior, Monigami." said the male. "We send him to others so that he would be in good hands, while we have the entire day to ourselves." said the female. They kept taking turns worshiping their 'false god' while we stood there and watched...

"But every time we leave him in capable hands, those hands betray our will and blame him for such atrocious crimes." "Our superior overlord deserves all the affection in the world, but regardless of our love, we share him with the world because they want to feel his love too!" "We are not worthy of a perfect child such as his graciousness." "He is our life, we can't just let him rot with those atrocious humans!"

The male sounded near emotionless, but also sounded very fatherly for a child. Monigami's mother on the other hand sounded completely obsessed with him, with hints of anger and delusion, she must've been the one who suggested that they should make Monigami their king. What kind of parents are those!? I mean, I would be fine if I was pampered that much, but this is way too much for a kid to comprehend!

"Whoa... they really love him don't they?" I say as we all stare at the two like they're insane. "Love is an understatement. They are completely addicted to their own child, they only let others watch him because they think it's good for them..." Gremlin said biting his lip.

"No wonder why they don't believe my parents! My parents are in a heated rivalry with Monigami's parents, and one time they came home steaming mad, without the power to do anything about it. There's no doubt in my mind that it's all their fault that Monigami is like this..." Scalawag twitched his eye a bit, but it wasn't to an extent where he wanted to kill them.

"If Monigami exaggerates their personality, that means their real selves are very cautious of their child's safety. When I tried calling them before, they were straight to the point while trying to get a babysitter." Siren told us while cringing upon seeing this bizarre form of worshipping.

"Oh whatever, can we just take these chumps down, and teach them a lesson in worshiping a fake god?" Liger shrugged and assumed battle position. "We shall try. They have already broken two amendments: No other God but He, and do not worship a false god." Siren says keeping her facts about the ten amendments. Jin'ichi follows along as he smirks and cracks his knuckles: "They break the holy rules, I break their spines."

"I still feel a bit bad trying to kill a kid's own parents, regardless of what form they take." I say a bit worried, I knew they were fake and yet their voices seemed so real, just like with Doll-Hakaru and the bull. "Not to worry about it Hero, they're just fakes." Scalawag said with confidence, while I stood there sweating with a small feeling of pressure: "I knew that! But still..." I scratched my head in shame as the preachers noticed our presence...

They slowly turned around, and when I say slow, I mean so slowly that we'd get to see their faces. The male's face seems straight, blank, and his eyes are closed. The female is more or less the same, but her frown was more of a growl with her teeth springing out at us. This made me jump back a little as everyone stood up and faced them with dramatic stances, and I just awkwardly got up and rubbed my eyes before casually making a shaking fist.

"I feel a sense of alarm, as if we have accusers to our humble abode." said the guy calmly, but aggressively as if his calm demeanor hid all sorts of anger. "We won't let you destroy our precious angel!" The lady suddenly snapped as her tone got even less stoic than before. "Yes. You shall experience pain unlike anything else you imbeciles have ever felt." The male called us imbeciles, but we aren't likely to be taken as a fool. "For the sake of our angel, we shall cleanse your sinful selves." said the two of them at once.

That statement alone triggered Siren, which made me jump a bit because I really don't like it when she gets angry like that. She just points at them, unable to keep herself calm due the religious statements she understood: "Cleanse!? We're not corrupt, you two are the ones who are impure! All you do is treat your son like he is your God, but he is not a god he is a child who has been forced to be pampered his whole life! Don't you see he doesn't deserve this unhealthy love!?" "You tell 'em fishy lady!" Liger joined in because he can.

"I see now, you are an evil being indeed." Said the male cultist as it confused Siren: "Huh!?" "You dare blame our angel for your eternal suffering!? You really are no different from those so-called 'protectors', who only want him to suffer!" The female shouted in anger. "You are too good for cleansing, what you filthy demons deserve is death." The male said while losing his composure and keeping a straight face.

"Oh yeah!? Well what happens if your precious angel goes to college!?" Scalawag yelled as the preachers alternated between themselves again, starting with the male: "We shall not let him. If our child grows up, then he'll drink that vicious liquid made from sin again..." "Don't you see!? We're only trying to protect him from the horrors of this sinful world! If he grows up, that will make him forget about our love, he'll never be the same without us!"

"He goes to school because he still requires knowledge, but we shan't let him go to a place where we can't see him again." "How dare you upset us by threatening our beloved child to go to college! You will never live to see the day again!" I could see the female shaking her closed eyes, which looked like twitching when you think about it.

"But I didn't even wanna threaten-" They both interrupt Scalawag as they scream with anger, an anger that was more dangerous than the child itself. They blast out a dark aura that turned them into two protectors of the 'pure'. They had angel wings, but they had nothing to do with holy. They looked like angels, but all we felt were a bunch of people acting like they loved him, but they seemed too crazy to watch without calling the police in real-time. I was personally startled by how human they look, but then I remembered, this is Monigami we're talking about. These two are the only realistic humans here, everything else is either a donkey, a servant, or a doll.

"So Hero, now do you want to beat up a child's parents?" Gremlin looked at me as I felt a bit sorry for them letting their delusions go out of control: "Looks like we don't have a choice. Let's show these Shadows what purity really is!" I stand my ground ready to fight!

"Now you're speaking my language." Siren says calmly as she holds her hands to her heart. "Less talking, more smashing." Liger said with a smirk on his face and Gremlin held his arm on his mask as he laughed to himself: "I couldn't agree more, heheheh." And then, we all shout, and roar, at the top of our lungs as we call upon our rebellious spirit to fight!

"Persona!"

A blast of blue fire unleashed from our souls as our masks came off, and a cat roared, which brought forth our Personas! The mighty armored demigod Hercules, the crazy little guy Gizmo, the peaceful mermaid of purity Ariel, and the fierce two-headed cat Striped Namean! Scalawag's sword also turned into a small green baby dragon which he rode on.

Me, Gremlin, and Liger went after the male and Siren and Scalawag will take down the female. The angel tried piercing us with his holy spear, but Liger dodged as he and Striped Namean started glowing orange. Liger roared as he, and his Persona, announced his power...

**"Super Fury!"**

Striped Namean's fur spiked up and both heads gained saber teeth while the lion head's mane was engulfed in fire. At the same time, Liger gained stripes and saber teeth of his own. Both him and his Persona roared as they pounced the male angel, which made him wide open to our attacks!

Gremlin and Gizmo used their Super Assemble to piece together a wooden fist made from the wooden seats surrounding us for my right arm. I unleashed my Super Power to send it right to the enemy's chest and Hercules, who also had Super Power, punched even harder into the face and it broke the wooden fist as the angel disappeared. I fist bumped Gremlin, preferably without using my powers, and Liger just rolled his eyes as Siren and Scalawag were still fighting the female angel.

The entire time, they were dodging her maniacal javelins as Ariel kept using her bubble shield to protect the two of them. Scalawag unleashed his pirate cannon and dragon-fire on the angel, and then Siren used a weak bubble beam from her wand to distract the angel so that Scalawag would have enough time to turn the dragon back into the sword, throw said sword up high, and then squish the female angel under another whale.

We all cheered for our victory against these Shadows, but still, it was too easy for our tastes. It was almost as if we were even stronger than the Shadows themselves, it must've been these extra powers we triggered within us. While we were cheering for our victory, Liger facepalmed while facing Scalawag.

"Dude, why do you keep squishing things with whales?" He asked. "I dunno, it must be a habit I do!" Scalawag said cheerfully. "That's our boy, now where's the Treasure?" I said looking around for any clues. "Doll-Harry said the Treasure is somewhere around here." Gremlin said looking around the statue. "Could it be that big shiny thing up there?" Liger pointed up as the others noticed it too, we had to back up a bit to notice the top of the platform.

I noticed the big shiny thing too, it was all the way at the top of the interior on a wooden walkway that looks like an X with a huge circle in the middle. As they say in a pirate flic, or in Scalawag's case...

"Argh, X marks the spot!" "That's brilliant! But how are we supposed to get up there?" Siren asked as she put both hands on her head to focus. "I don't see any elevators- huh!?" Liger said as he gasped and looked at me funny.

"What?" I said with literally no idea what's going on. "Oh no, we are not going to fly up there!" Liger shook his head like crazy denying that I had the power to fly. Gremlin smirked like he knew exactly what was going on: "Great idea Liger, we'll just fly up there using Hero's Super Power!" Gremlin reminded me as I looked up and estimated the distance: "Huh. I knew I could do that. I can give you guys a lift, but damn, that's a long way up, I wouldn't want to drop any of you if I run out by then."

"You see!? That's my problem! We're going to die if we fall from a height that big!" Liger was shivering as if he was scared of heights, I don't blame you. But Scalawag looked at Liger like he knew something about cats: "Don't cats land on their feet?" "Oh sure, and I'm Santa Claus." Liger said sarcastically, but Scalawag actually thought he was Santa Claus: "Ooh, can I have a toy whale gun?" "Oh brother..." Liger facepalmed embarrassed of Scalawag's literal approach.

"Try energy drinking as you fly Hero, I wouldn't want to waste Siren's magical healing charm on you yet." Gremlin said as he gave me a full can to work with. "Do you really think it'll work? I don't do so well with drinking huge amounts of drinks." I said reminding myself that I've never done a sugar rush before.

"Hey, if you could pull the string when I told you not to, then you know what to do with that energy can." Gremlin said proudly as that sparked some degree of courage in me: "Well, I'll try. But if we all die because of me, I'm very sorry." And I really hope we don't die because of me.

"I am not going to grab on to a coward's body." Liger still doesn't want to fly the risky way, Scalawag looks around a bit and says with concern: "Are you sure? More Shadows will be coming soon, and you can't last forever y'know." "Not to mention, there is a small chance that you will perish if outnumbered..." Siren told him as Liger planned on taking down every last one of them, the problem is that he greatly respects Siren's calm nature, and he felt more embarrassed just saying yes: "...goddamn it, what did I do to deserve this fate?"

Everyone grabs me like there's no tomorrow and Gremlin puts the open can of energy booster in my mouth. My eye twitches, my right foot thumbed like no tomorrow, and my body shakes as I glow green and shoot up like a rocket. Everyone screams as I want to panic too, but not with a can in my mouth. We all flew above the wooden platform before we crash-landed, we were relieved that we're okay, and alive for that matter. But all of a sudden, I was suddenly shaking with hyperactivity, with no way to turn off my power. I was sputtering all over the place and I couldn't think straight, but everyone else was okay, so that's just perfect.

"Oh yeah! That was awesome! Don't feel so down in the dumps, we're alive! That was fun wasn't it Hero?" Gremlin asked while feeling alive, my response?: "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum, yeah! Yeah! I can't stop!" Liger felt a little sick from the flight, but he noticed my state and clearly remembered what happened a few days ago: "Wasn't this guy drunk before?" "Yeah, but now it's the exact opposite problem." Scalawag said as he tilted his head while looking at me.

"Perhaps overindulging in energetic super fuel was a bad idea." Thanks for clearing that up Siren, it doesn't help me that a single handshake could break an arm off!

"H-How do I t-turn m-myself off!?" I asked Gremlin, who surprisingly took advantage of my sputtering state: "Maybe we shouldn't, with this much power coming from Hero, we might stand a chance due to his sugar rush." "I get it! Hero will have a huge advantage with his Super Power constantly on!" Scalawag makes a good point, but what do we do with me shaking all over the place?

"H-How long d-does it l-last!?" "According to researchers, the average sugar rush lasts for 30 to 40 minutes before all that energy built up disappears from him all at once." Siren informs us while looking like a smartie. "Perfect, that's 30 whole minutes of Super Power baby!" Gremlin said about to high five, but he pulled away because he doesn't want to get launched.

"That's also 30 minutes to find the treasure, so we could get away easily!" Scalawag says amazed by my accidental sugar rush, I guess with knowledge like this, I can't disagree. "Um guys?" Liger points at the X, and we saw the glass case that Scalawag said the dollar is.

We looked at the glass case in the middle of the X that contained the two thousand yen bill, and to our surprise, nothing was there. All of a sudden, we were all surrounded by Shadow butlers of all kinds, it was an ambush! I would've been frightened if I wasn't so shaky! Shadow Monigami came out with that smug face of his and looked like he really was the king of the world, not that he actually is though.

"Oho! You really thought that you would steal my treasure so easily? I always keep this in my pocket in case of an emergency." Shadow Monigami says as he pats the right pocket with the dollar in it. "Monigami!? How'd you get up here?" Siren sounded surprised but Shadow Monigami shrugged it off as he said: "I took the elevator in the back."

"I knew there was a better idea than just flying to the top! We could've even skipped that crazy cult fight!" Liger facepalmed again as he complained that we could've saved a few moments just by being more aware of our surroundings. Gremlin then points out: "Yeah, but that'll mean having to do nothing for a minute or two. Flying to the top was definitely faster, and more satisfying." "Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyou think!?" I replied while shaking in my standing position.

"What's his fucking problem?" Shadow Monigami points at me as Scalawag defends me: "He's been super charged with super energy! He has the strength to lift a whale! So if you refuse to hand us the Treasure, we'll have Hero demolish this whole building!" Shadow Monigami holds his hand in his pocket as he begins to throw more cuss words...

"Oh yeah? What makes you think I'll just hand over my desire to shit eating piss-ants like you!? Everything in my mansion was absolutely perfect until you fuckers showed up! I won't give you this bill just because you managed to destroy and distort my loving mansion! You even managed to turn one of the dolls against me! Do you know how long it took me to think of a possible candidate for my service!?"

"Blah blah blah, all you do is go on and on about how your precious mansion got wrecked." Gremlin says unamused and Scalawag followed him up by saying: "We only wrecked it because you were going to wreck Hero!" With small childish anger. I couldn't help but join in, despite my shaking body: "Y-Yeah! W-We're going t-to put an e-end to your c-crimes!" Monigami looks unimpressed as his smirk turned into that maniacal expression he sometimes does...

"Heh. You have no fucking clue who you're messing with. I am a fucking god to these peasants! You are all nothing but a pathetic crumb on an all-you-can-eat-buffet to me! With supporters like these, I can do anything I wa-"

Suddenly Liger grabs Monigami by the mouth and lifts him up and throws him off the platform. We all stood there in shock as Liger rubbed his hands together. The Shadows all ran away from us for some reason, must be because they're trying to recover Monigami. We all stood there completely shocked at Liger's sudden move and he just shrugged it off!

"Problem solved. Let's go get that dollar." Liger said with a smirk. Scalawag was the first to berate him: "Dude! A fall from this height would kill someone remember!?" "Yeah, not cool." Gremlin said to him with a disappointed look, I can clearly understand, he clearly wanted to see where this was going, but apparently Liger cut him off.

"What? I was just making sure you guys remembered this wasn't about revenge. Besides, there's nothing to worry about, with that chubby tummy of his, he'll bounce right back up if we're lucky. See? Here he comes now... I think...?" Well he does have a point, cutting to the chase last time really screwed up Monigami's mind, but he didn't have to throw him down mid-monologue! Just then, the ground began to rumble as the support for the wooden structure we're standing on began to crumble.

I grabbed everyone with my flight and we crashed onto the floor again as we saw a big red and black blob where Monigami was. I've got a feeling that we're about to face his true form, so with determined expressions on our faces, we prepared to face Monigami's Gluttony personified!

We took a closer look at the new form Monigami was about to take, and oh man was it huge! It took the shape of a big pink chubby humanoid pig, with a curly tail, short stubby legs and arms shaped like claws, a big vest made out of money, a snout in the place of a nose, a belt that held white underpants with dollar signs on them, and fangs as it breathed with its mouth.

This thing was absolutely gigantic, it was about as tall as the already big Monigami statue and man did it make me reconsider thinking he was a pig, as a matter of fact, he was a total got to us now!

Everyone else was frightened or angry at the big guy, but we still had a job to do... The pig monologues again as Siren looked for any major injuries on our bodies. Nothing serious, just a few bumps and bruises...

"You think that you can step into my beautiful mansion and trash it up!? You dumb fucks need to learn a lesson in respecting the rich and powerful! Anyone else is nothing but an animal! While some may be useful to an extent, all the others are just disgusting! Get out of my damn mansion already and just let me be, before I have to plunge my ass into your cunt faces!"

"I'm sorry, we're the animals? You're the real animal here!" Siren shputed as Scalawag followed up by saying: "Yeah! Literally!" "I'm standing right here y'know... Although, come to think of it, I've never eaten anything pig related in a long time..." Liger was a little insulted, but he was clearly more focused on the fight.

"Just give us the damn bill already, or else we'll take it from your greedy ass." Gremlin says a bit bored. "T-This e-ends now y-you swine!" I stutter. "Swine? Me!? Oh no, I'm not just any old swine, I am the most perfect piggy in the world! No one tells me what not to do! Anyone who does... becomes pork chopped!" The giant pig squealed as we readied our battle positions.

The giant piggy shoots mud from his nostrils as we all dodge with grace. Scalawag attempts the whale trick again, but he needs time to make the whale big enough to hit that hog where it hurts. In the meantime, we hit him with everything we had! Liger used Super Fury and chomped into the butt of the hog, then the pig squealed as he resorted to punching Liger with his huge hog muscles. Liger was smashed against the wall as me and Gremlin let him have it!

Gremlin took advantage of my hyperactive state, and he threw his Persona Gizmo in Moni-Piggy's face, this distracted him for me as I let loose all that I could muster. By punching him several times, it did massive damage to his belly, and it gave him a bellyache which forced him to drink the bottle of alcohol in his arm to restore his wounds. Gremlin couldn't help but wonder: "How the hell is alcohol doing good for him?"

"Ehehehe, you foolish punks keep forgetting! I love alcohol so much, it restores my will to fight!" Shadow Monigami said as he chugged on more as Liger got out of the wall he crashed into and yelled: "Like that's supposed to make a lick of sense!"

"I could dine on this stuff all day, but-" I interrupted him by charging at the bottle with an unsettling burst of speed, I crashed into it as it split all over the floor. The glass almost hit us, but Gremlin then threw a lighter into the alcohol, which caused it to explode! I used my ultra speed to grab Gremlin and Liger in time as the explosion covered the giant piggy's skin. Meanwhile, Siren is using her passive powers to heal us while Scalawag continues making the giant whale.

"The one thing wrong with alcohol, it's highly flammable." Gremlin said as he flipped the bird at the pig, wow. Moni-Piggy put out the flames as he expressed his anger: "Ouch! That really hurt motherfucker! I'm telling my guardians! Mama! Papa! These demons are trying to kill me!"

Just then, the male angel and the female angel appeared before us again, they seem angrier than before. I would get startled by this, if I wasn't shaking all over the place, for some reason all of this hyperactivity is making me unable to feel any fear! Does this mean when I'm hyper, I don't get scared as often as I used to? It sure helps me stay on my toes with parents like this.

"Oh no, not these two psychos again!" Liger complained as the preachers expressed anger in their own way: "Ah, I see the sinners have returned, this time picking on our god." The male sounded a bit more stern than before. "You have no idea how precious he is to us! Do you want to rot in prison for the rest of your heartless lives!?" That female was just as violent as ever.

"Let me guess, this happens every time Monigami has a babysitter?" Gremlin says unamused and yet ticked off. "I'd say so." Siren said calmly. "D-Don't y-you s-see t-that h-he is using y-you!?" I stuttered as Liger pointed at me like he knows what I'm saying: "The Superman is right y'know, a real parent shouldn't put their child in potential danger if every babysitter he ever got went cuckoo."

"Especially my mother, that child of yours drove my mother into madness!" Gremlin said reminding himself of what he did to his family, the preachers refused to believe it: "So what's your point? Every human has a monster inside them..." "Every human, except our adorable little god! We will never let you freaks sacrifice him for your demonic rituals!"

"Okay now this is getting ridiculous..." I couldn't agree any more Liger... "Yeah that's what you motherfuckers deserve! I enjoy toying with my dolls because I love to see how they would react to a devilish child like me! In the end, my parents would always see them as nothing but a fucked-up shell of a man! I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, to them I'm the devil, but to my own loving parents... I am the richest piece of swine in the world!" Shadow Monigami snorted while laughing as the two guardians looked at us with an intense rage.

"Uh oh, you three can take all three of them on for me, can you? The whale's not done yet!" Scalawag said while trying to focus his power into creating the biggest whale that nobody else noticed yet except for us. "I don't think we can, with their anger reaching critical mass, we'll be overwhelmed before you know it." Gremlin said as he began to sweat. "And since my magic doesn't have that much effect on offense, and given that even I have my own stamina to worry about..." Siren said as I somehow managed to panic in my hyperactive state...

"Ooooooooohhhhhh noooo!!" Even if my Super Power could stop them all, I'm not positive that I can do this without help. We got ready to fight to the death as Moni-piggy snorted while he laughed. Just as the angels began to open fire, I heard my voice as he shouted to Shadow Monigami: "Master Monigami!" "Wah!? Who the fuck said that!?" Shadow Monigami looked around suspiciously. "Another sinner I'd bet..." The male preacher said while still getting ready to attack. "Over here!" my voice said as we all looked behind us...

It was Doll-Hakaru, holding a torch in his left arm. Next to him are all the broken dolls riding on the jackasses that Monigami kept locked up. They all growled, laughed or moaned at Shadow Monigami and his guardians. Doll-Hakaru himself was riding the donkey with Jin'ichi's sunglasses and spiky haircut, with the broken and beaten doll of Jin'ichi's mother on Doll-Hakaru's back. We all looked at the scene with awe as Shadow Monigami looked at the scene with confusion and fear.

"Oh you little paper thumb, you just wanted an epic moment to yourself, didn't you?" Gremlin smiled brighter than before while he was impressed by the crew's dramatic entrance. "Y-you r-rallied u-up the d-dolls!" I said extra proud of myself, literally! "Wow... I used to think these guys were scary, but now look at them!" Scalawag said wowed as Siren noticed the whale shrinking: "Focus child!" "Oh right! Giant whale..." The whale started picking up the pace again as Shadow Monigami looked at the dolls and jackasses he called trash...

"What the!? What is the meaning of this!?" Doll-Hakaru began to speak, it was in my serious tone that I sometimes pull out whenever I feel the urge to prove myself, and man did it sound epic coming from a figment of imagination!

"For too long have we lived right under your thumb Monigami, every one of these donkeys ride in because they are sick of being deceived by children like you. And these dolls, you may think of them as mere toys, but if there's anything my new friends have taught me, it's to have the guts to do what's right! That's what I taught the other dolls too, and they have only one thing on their minds now..."

Doll-Hakaru then pulled Mrs. Sumula's string as we heard the same broken voice, but it sounded even more angry than before as it was more directed at Monigami than ever! "You ruined my life! You ruined everyone's life! You even ruined my son's faith in me! I will not sit here anymore and let a child like you roam the streets! I'll make you pay...!"

"Revenge." Doll-Hakaru concluded his speech as the other dolls and jackasses growled, laughed, whatever they do, louder than before! I've never seen these guys so determined before, I don't even want to know how he even convinced an entire room of donkeys to fight Monigami, but I felt so happy at that moment. Gremlin was surprisingly happier than usual, seeing his own mother get enraged over Monigami was pretty darn satisfying to him. And whenever Jin'ichi smiled peacefully, regardless of my hyperactive state, I felt very satisfied too.

"Yeah, you go get 'em mom..." He said while letting a tear or two fly. "Attack!" Doll-me shouted as the donkeys let loose a swarm of hee-haws and charged straight at the two preachers and Moni-Piggy. Liger and Gremlin followed suit as the donkeys kicked the two angels back and forth. Gizmo and Striped Namean went to town with those angels as they mauled them while they were distracted by the very jackasses Monigami underestimated. Meanwhile, the dolls all got on Shadow Monigami's face as they attempted to tear him limb from limb.

"Hey!!! You motherfucking toys better get off of me!! Don't you touch that!" "Thanks a lot mom, you're the best!" Gremlin said pumping his fist up in the air. He always wanted to help his mother, but even Jin'ichi never predicted that his mother would be doing the same. I'm so proud of him right now! "Hero! Now's your time to strike!" Liger shouted as I said with confidence in my shaking face: "O-Okay!"

I flew into the sky with my endless Super Power still on, I then kept punching the giant hog about ten times before Scalawag gave me the signal that he was ready! I looked up from where the shadow was covering and the whale he imagined was so huge that it covered the entire room all by itself! With a deep breath, I decided to give Monigami a warning as he knocked away the dolls on his face.

"Why you little piece of shit... do you even know who I am!? I have the power to ban you from this world you know! I am unstoppable!" "Oh y-yeah? You may have p-protection, and all t-the riches in your h-heart, bu-but we h-have a w-whale!"

Everyone ducked in cover as Scalawag let's go of the whale and it landed square on Shadow Monigami's head. This knocked him down hard enough to turn him back to his small self, the whale quickly turned back into a sword as we all cheered with the broken dolls moaning in delight and the donkeys hee-hawed all over the place. I on the other hand got so tired all of a sudden that I couldn't move a muscle, I slowly landed on the floor as Siren placed an extra charm on my stomach to help my sugar crash wear off.

"Thanks Siren." "It is what I do best, give thanks." She smiled at me, which made me feel warm enough to smile that goofy little smile I was known for. Scalawag then hugged Doll-Hakaru, Gremlin interacted with his mother's cognitive image, and Liger patted the heads on a few of the jackasses.

"Doll-Hakaru! You were absolutely amazing, how did you get everyone here?" "Well, I used my strength to rescue the donkeys, who then helped me rescue the dolls. It looks like they were all out to get Monigami in some way." "Thank you so much Doll-Hakaru, we couldn't have done it without you!" Takeyoshi laughed as Doll-me smiled, I guess even Monigami thinks I smile when I see someone smile back at me.

"Hey mom? Turn that frown upside-down, I'm here for you now..." Jin'ichi pulled the string on his mother's back and out came another new message that sounded a bit healed from her experience with Monigami, and it felt so happy for the son she raised: "Thank you son." It was short, but something this hardening made him tear up as he hugged her and said: "Goddamn... I miss you already..."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm keeping the fuzzy one." Naruki said as he rubbed the fuzzy one's fur. "Um... guys? What about Monigami?" I ask, just barely starting to recover.

"He's right, he still has the treasure you guys sought for. But be wary that once you get the treasure, you'll never see me, or any of us, again..." Doll-Hakaru said as Takeyoshi stopped smiling and looked at the doll with a worried face: "Doll-Hakaru... say it ain't so, there has to be some way we can take you with us!"

"I'm sorry. We're all part of Monigami's imagination whether you like it or not. And now that you guys are about to steal his desires, there's no need for us anymore..." He sounded depressed, just like when I was whenever I felt alone or helpless.

Takeyoshi teared up as he had to say goodbye to a friend he made in this world again, this time for good... "Oh no... I don't want to leave you Doll-Hakaru, but I can't let Monigami get away with the Treasure again..." Doll-Hakaru put his floppy hand on Takeyoshi's shoulder like I always do to him whenever I feel comforting...

"Look, you guys are real, you have flesh and blood and everything else that makes you special. You have your own life to live and so did we. But we aren't like any of you... we only represent what the real Monigami thinks of all of you. But just because you'll never see us again, doesn't mean you won't remember us. Even though we can't come with you to the real world, you'll always have your real friends to look after you. And let me tell you something, without you Takeyoshi, your little band couldn't have gotten far. I'm so proud of you, and so is everyone else." He smiled as Takeyoshi tried to accept the pressure of losing a copy of me forever...

"Doll-Hakaru! I don't want to leave you forever!" I spoke next, having nearly the same tone that Doll-me had: "It's okay Takeyoshi, remember you've still got us, that's like the next best thing compared to Doll-me. And besides, without us you would've ended up more helpless than I ever was, and without you, we couldn't have figured out how to beat the bull. Phantom Crusader or not, you are a wonderful friend to the end Takeyoshi..."

Takeyoshi began to cry again, but now he's beginning to accept that Doll-Hakaru will be gone, but at least he has us... "Y-Yeah... I guess you're right... without any of you guys, I wouldn't have met Doll-Hakaru in the first place...without any of you guys, I could've killed Monigami when I knew he doesn't deserve it..." "It's okay young Takeyoshi... thanks for everything..." Akiyo said proudly as she felt purely joyful upon seeing the young child become a better person.

Takeyoshi rushed into my arms, still a tiny bit weak from the sugar crash, and Akiyo joined in too. This feeling of comfort always satisfies me in some way that I just can't explain, it makes me want to help people even more. Jin'ichi and Liger said their goodbyes too, and let me say this now, I've never seen Jin'ichi so sad before...

"I guess that means I'll never see you again huh? Well, it was fun while it lasted right? I'll make sure to visit you in the crazy bin someday. Just know this, I'll live on for you and my father, I won't let anything else get me down in the dumps again. Okay?" Then he smiled, not his usual happy-go-lucky smile, but rather a smile he tried to force himself to do. Jin'ichi was always a positive guy under the disguise of a worthless piece of trash, when he found his mother in this state for the first time, his heart shattered into bits. He couldn't handle the pressure, and he collapsed, and now that he knows why she vanished on him, he couldn't forgive himself for letting her descend into madness.

Now that his mother finally got her vengeance on Monigami, and he knows how proud she might've been judging from Monigami's point of view, he tried to remain upbeat for her and live on as the child of the Sumala family. His mother slowly opened her mouth as she said something with happiness in her tone, and it sounded too familiar to him as he got startled and heartfelt for what she was about to say...

"... I... love... you... Jin'ichi..." "Huh...?" That was the breaking point, and I didn't say he got angry... He cried as he hugged his mother doll, he does it in a fashion that tries to hide the sadness in his heart. This was the first time I've ever seen Jin'ichi cry, it pained me to know that he was desperately trying to hold it in this whole time and now he's letting it all out, just the opposite of when he found out about the Phantom Thieves in the first place...

"So... does that mean I can't have the fuzzy one?" Naruki asked. "No. You can't have the fuzzy one." Doll-Hakaru sadly stated. "Oh... I see..." he hugged the fuzzy one as it made the hee-haw sound in a baby voice. I never knew Naruki could be so emotional...

Doll-Hakaru walked up to Akiyo as he took off the charm he had on this whole time. He gave it back to Akiyo as he spoke to her from the bottom of his heart. "Here you go Akiyo, I'd figured you'll need this back..." "My invincibility charm, why are you giving it back?" "What's the point of having protection, if there's nothing to protect? There are plenty of other things that need your help more than I do, promise me you'll never stop helping others no matter what..."

Akiyo began to crack on her own as she teared up upon the sight of me feeling grieved and determined in doll form: "I won't... thank you other-Hakaru, you truly are the purest doll I've ever seen..." "Thank you. If you guys are done saying goodbye, you know what to do..." Doll-Hakaru said facing me as I said with heartfelt confidence: "Don't worry, we didn't forget."

Takeyoshi adds to that statement by saying: "We'll never forget." with a heartfelt smile. Takeyoshi finally accepted Doll-Hakaru's fate, and even though he's only a child, he managed to overcome fear and despair itself to become someone who can stand up for himself. I'm going to miss myself, I never thought I would think that out loud.

We did one last hug with Doll-Hakaru while Jin'ichi was finished hugging his mother, and we caught Naruki hugging the fuzzy donkey. I can't believe we're getting so emotional because of things that aren't real, but they felt real to us and that's what it amounts to. What can we say? We came here to help a kid get even, and now we're interacting with the very things he owned. We're sensitive people, but that's what made us more human. They may not matter to anyone else, but these Cognitive things mattered to us in a way that felt so real to us...

After we hugged for a few more seconds, we finally let go as Takeyoshi wiped away his tears. After that, it was finally time that we approached an unconscious Shadow Monigami as he began to come around...

"Ow... huh? Yikes! Don't you motherfuckers have anything better to do!?" Shadow Monigami jumped and shivered a bit as Naruki shrugged and said: "Nope." "We never did." Jin'ichi added with a tone that sounded normal but more emotional, this proved he was still a bit shook from his goodbye. Shadow Monigami threw a temper tantrum as he rolled around on the floor like a baby, which he technically was...

"It's not fair! Nobody lets me drink alcohol anymore, but that's because I barely survived drinking it in the first place! My parents always knew I was becoming bad, so they tried to distract themselves from my true feelings! They literally gave me everything I wanted, but it wasn't enough for me! How come your parents aren't as obsessed as mine! I get to have everything I want, and all my life I wasn't satisfied with myself! I thought that if I could give everyone else misery, it would calm my restless soul, but it actually gives me this sick feeling that I just can't get rid of! Why aren't you trying to kill me!? What do you guys have that I don't!?"

"Takeyoshi, will you do the honors?" I let Takeyoshi approach him as he had a heart-to-heart with the former bully. Naruki was positioning to pounce just in case, but Jin'ichi stopped him by placing his hand on the liger's shoulder and shaking his head.

Takeyoshi did his best to explain what was going on with him, just like I did to Takeyoshi all those times he needed help: "Listen, your dad got into the wrong crowd and it unintentionally drove you to become spoiled right?" "Huh!?" Shadow Monigami flinched a bit as Takeyoshi started to talk some more...

"So that's why you're so mean, your parents tried to make you forget about all that, but it just made things worse for you didn't it? I'm sorry, I didn't know. Ever since you showed up, I always thought of you as an enemy, but you're not evil. All you ever wanted was a family that doesn't force their love upon you, but as far as I can tell, they won't believe anything we tell them...but there is one way you can stop all this..."

"How, how can I stop it!? They don't care what I think, they just want what's best for me! I thought I would love that idea, but it's never enough to make me love my parents!" Shadow Monigami looked stressed as Takeyoshi smiled with confidence: "Don't worry. All you have to do is tell your parents that you did the crimes behind the babysitters. In exchange, I would really like the bill you have in your jacket pocket."

"B-But, what about my mansion? What's going to happen to it!?" "Unfortunately, if you tell your parents the truth, then I'm afraid your precious mansion, and all the stuff you had in it, will vanish..." "W-What!? That's absurd! I won't give up my fortune that easily you little... frick!" He couldn't even muster up a bad word correctly, he's trying to hang on, but he can't...

"Tell me Monigami, what is more important to you? A child who gets everything he wants, at the cost of family. Or a happy family that actually cares about you, but without getting everything you want?" "W-What are you saying...?" "Okay, scratch that. Has everything you've ever gotten from your parents, what you really wanted? Think about it, the cool swimming pool in your backyard, the huge supply of money you were given, and all that gum you had in your mouth one time, was that what you really wanted...?"

"Well! I...well, kinda...? No, they were not what I wanted. All this time, I wanted my family to stop treating me like their top priority. My dad was even fired from his old job because of his obsession with me. If talking to them is really going to do the trick, then I guess I have no other choice. Takeyoshi, I'm really sorry for all those times I picked on you. I just wanted my family to stop pampering me so badly that I took it out on others. I got used to it by now, but if I have to give all that up because of some family love, I think it'll be worth it to see my family love me as their son and not their god. Takeyoshi, do you have the heart to forgive me?"

"...yeah. I can't stay mad at you forever you know, you just wanted a family that doesn't treat you like a king. If it's too much to ask, you think once you're available we can play in the backyard?" "That would be very swell, thank you so much..." Monigami said while he was crying for the family he wished he kept...

Shadow Monigami hugged Takeyoshi for a bit as he expressed his tears. I can't help but feel sorry for the guy, he had a family that was overprotective of him, and he bought into this vision that he gets whatever he wants, like a rich person does. Even though he was despicable and near unforgivable, we all knew there was more to him than meets the eye. Shortly after, Shadow Monigami handed the two thousand yen bill to Takeyoshi. Upon closer inspection, there are two faces on the dollar: one of Monigami's mother, and one of his father.

He waved goodbye crying as he began to disappear, and Takeyoshi felt confident that he helped change someone's heart. Jin'ichi gave him a thumbs up while Akiyo shed a tear or two. We were all proud of Takeyoshi for going above and beyond his childhood innocence to overcome his troubles while also helping someone else with their troubles. But of course, we couldn't just stand there and do nothing. The whole church began to shake as the whole thing started to come down, wood and glass was falling everywhere while the support for the actual mansion started to crumble too!

"Oh crap! This place is coming down!" Liger shouted. "Don't worry about us! You guys just get out of here before this whole place collapses!" Doll-Hakaru shouts as he stays behind with Jin'ichi's mother, and the dolls and jackasses. "Alright. Liger, turn into a monster truck!" I pointed to Liger as we transformed in the blink of an eye. "Well, okay, but how exactly are we going to survive something like this!?"

"Hang on tight guys, I'll get us out of this jam!" Gremlin says as we all jump into the truck. "We're all going to die..." Liger says unenthusiastically and scared. "Remember to buckle up!" Siren reminded us as Scalawag shouted from the window: "I'll never forget you Doll-Hakaru!"

Jin'ichi stepped on the gas as we all hung on for our lives! He blasted through the church door, turned left before we could re-enter the mansion, and then we fell for 2 seconds before landing on the grassy field with the petunias. We drove our way out the drive in entrance, as time was not on our side, as we looked at the toll guy who was shocked to see the Palace crumble apart. We all screamed as we blasted through the toll-gate and back the way we came!

Suddenly, before we could make it back on the road, a bright light flashed as we all were somehow back at the clubhouse. We looked at the app, which had the location unable to be looked up again. Monigami's Palace was no more, all traces of its existence were gone with the wind.

We all were exhausted from this adventure, and boy was that one hell of a ride. We all took deep breaths as we took a look at the treasure, it changed when we entered the real world and it felt similar to the paper we were holding: It was a family photo of Monigami before he was evil. His family was hugging him from both sides, the smiles they made looked pure and not forced, and he had the cutest little smile while he sat on a wooden chair.

That felt so heartwarming seeing the treasure was his family all along. Whether it was for greed or for the fact that he wants it back was completely optional, but if a kid could get warped because of a singular motive of his family, then that would make us the first people ever to cure a kid from his warped desires.

"Damn. That's one happy family the kid had, it kinda reminds me of my first family picture." Jin'ichi smiles as he passes it to the others. "Aw, that is so adorable, I sense no darkness within any of these faces." Akiyo wanted to hug it but she showed it to Takeyoshi and Naruki next.

"Wow, I never thought Monigami was so nice before all of this. He's only about a year or two old, and he looks happy." Takeyoshi smiled knowing that he just helped save a family. "Ugh. I hate pictures." Naruki looks away. Jin'ichi raises an eyebrow in response: "Um, dude? What did this picture ever do to you?"

"It brings back memories, just like you said, but for me, it's more of a flash photography camera y'know. And boy did those scumbags take pictures of me in the worst poses..." Naruki looked away, but I managed to pick up the pace again by asking: "Hey guys, do you think the change of heart worked?"

Jin'ichi nodded and said: "Only one way to find out." Naruki looked away again when he knew where this was going: "Uh, yeah. I'm just gonna wait for the party to end..." Now hang on Naruki, we may be all relieved that we made it out of there alive, but we still had one more thing to do to secure our victory, we had to confirm this with HEX.

Naruki stayed behind as usual as we ended up in the usual alleyway in Shibuya. HEX was clapping and laughing upon our arrival, which felt unsettling and yet satisfying. I don't know, his voice when he laughs is quite broken, but he also somehow knew that we did the right thing too. I'm sure we'll get used to it, I think...

"Hahahah... well done Phantom Crusaders." "What happened back there? Is Monigami okay?" I asked. "Oh he's fine, you've successfully changed his heart. And now he's going to tell his parents something besides petty lies..." HEX responded as he expressed his delight in the same voice that confused us all at first. We did it, we actually pulled off something that experts like the Phantom Thieves could do, and knowing that just made me feel happy inside.

"Heh. It's all thanks to little Takeyoshi that we managed to defeat him." Jin'ichi patted on Takeyoshi's back like he meant something special to us, and he did. "Aw shucks, I only dropped whales on people's heads!" The kid said sarcastically as Akiyo expressed how proud she was of him in her own calm way: "I'm just so proud of the way you handled your own arch enemy, we have taught him everything we knew."

"Yeah! That was awesome, but now I miss Doll-Hakaru..." Takeyoshi almost got sad again as HEX, surprisingly cheered him up: "Don't worry, he'll always be in your heart. Never give up on your dreams young one, and let your imagination run wild, you might be surprised with the fun you'll have with this magical world." "Thanks." Takeyoshi approached him for a hug, but he refused the hug by putting his hand out in front of him.

"So... now that we've saved a child from nearly framing me... now what?" I couldn't help but wonder what comes next for the Phantom Crusaders, but then HEX had to remind me that I still have a life to live: "Oh relax Hero, you don't always have to be a Phantom Thief 24/7. Don't you guys have real life to take care of?"

"*Gasp* Oh crap my exams!" That's right! This week is the week of my exams, and I almost forgot to study up! But Jin'ichi couldn't let me freak out over something like this as he spoke his usual happy-go-lucky attitude: "Don't worry about it yet Harry, we changed a lot just now old pal. We might as well celebrate our achievement with a banger!"

Takeyoshi raised his hand and jumped up and down with glee: "Or a burger! Can we go to Big Bang Burger? I love that place!" "You and me both kid, maybe you can bring your friends over." Jin'ichi pointed with both fingers at Takeyoshi and then the kid looked at me and said: "And Junko! Don't forget your sister!" I then tell him while being a bit concerned about my sister and her being around people she met two days ago: "I don't know, I haven't exactly brought my sister into a boy's celebration before..."

"Don't worry about it, I've hung out with you boys for so long I've pretty much gotten used to your scent." Akiyo states as Jin'ichi looks at her while keeping that quirky smile on his face: "What? My scent?" He shrugged. "Yes! I have air fresheners in my house so it evens out." Akiyo kept a straight face the whole time, I'm surprised she noticed that some of us stank like crazy. And that's when Jin'ichi sniffed his armpit and then shrugged it off again: "Sure whatever. Come on Harry, every man doesn't get the feeling of satisfaction all the time. Let's have some fun knowing that Monigami's heart has changed!"

"Well... when you put it that way, I guess one little celebration wouldn't hurt." I say a bit nervous, it's been a while since my last big celebration with friends, even the 'party' me and Jin'ichi had after Kamoshida atoned for his crimes wasn't that very energetic compared to what happened now.

"Can we also bring Naruki?" Takeyoshi asked. "Nah, he's not a party person anyway. Also, who would want to watch a liger eat burgers?" Jin'ichi said while having this grin that literally spells 'No worries!' "Good point. Make sure to give him some when you get home!" "Don't worry Takeyoshi my boy, I've got this down."

"Yeah, are you coming HEX?" I ask as his mood stiffened up again as he expressed a small fraction of interest, but he had other plans: "No. I have business with the Phantom Thieves to take care of. You guys just focus on your little party. In fact, you guys can have the next week off, I'll give you your next mission a week from now. Keep up the good work, and soon you'll become just like the Phantom Thieves."

"Not just like them, I'll do my best to make sure that everyone, no matter who they are, gets the help they needed!" I say with a bright confident smile, HEX looked at his handheld purplish phone as he said: "I wish you all the best of luck, on the first steps of your new life."

The feeling I'm getting now was the feeling that I helped somebody. This was the most satisfying feeling I've ever felt. The mere thought of saving someone as a superhero has made me feel just like one! It makes me want to help out even more people, and it's just the kind of feeling I'm getting now. In fact, once HEX gives us his next assignment, we'll be readier than ever to answer the call!

Although, just when I felt sure of myself, the second I left the alleyway I saw a huge blue door with the wardens from my dreams right next to it. Wait, they're real!? Oh my gosh, I would be panicking right now, but apparently I don't want to upset the others, so I told them I'll meet them there after I clarify some things with HEX. One of the wardens walked up to me and looked at me with scorn in their eye, it reminded me of Takeyoshi when he looked at Monigami with anger and that scared me!

"Nice to meet you in the real world Hakaru." Justine said in her usual calm manner. "What are you two doing here? If it's about this rehabilitation nonsense, count me out, I don't want to get involved in your nonsense after I've changed someone's heart." I was still a bit angry when they tried to force destiny upon me twice, but still, I felt like these two kept targeting me for a reason...

"Hold on, you already changed someone's heart!?" Caroline shouted as she entered a position where she was threatening to beat me up, but I held my own against them: "Yeah? So what!? I am perfectly capable of doing things my own way thank you!" I shouted in frustration. Caroline was about to let me have it before her twin stopped her: "Caroline, we cannot change his mind. Now that he has successfully changed someone's heart, even without our master's help, there's no going back to the life he once lived."

Caroline just looked away from me, as if she knew I couldn't be stopped. "Hmm... you may be right Justine. Our master recently got word of this unexpected change of heart, and he said it was fine as long as it doesn't interfere with the rehabilitation of the trickster." Caroline held herself back as Justine looked at me with pity: "But still, we couldn't help but notice your rebellious spirit. You've already gathered supporters, mastered the art of Palace infiltration, and even got to experience the root of the human subconscious all in the span of a week."

"I don't know about you, but either he's got dumb luck, or something entirely different." Dumb luck she says...? You don't have to rub it in Caroline, it was never dumb luck. Everything just sorta happened and I went along with it from the start as I got more curious after every visit.

I wanted to tell her, but I couldn't work up the nerve to tell her. "Look... I can't deal with you guys now, being in that cage back there gave me claustrophobia. And then I somehow managed to suck it up the whole time on my second visit only to find you still wanted my help. I've got problems of my own to deal with now, so if you don't mind, I don't want your help, I've already got my friends to support me..."

I was about to walk off as Justine says something cryptic: "We know you do not wish for our assistance, and we understand you can't stand being in the presence of our master, but we have to do something about this mission you have been assigned to before you fall to ruin." "You two don't understand, whatever this 'ruin' might be, I won't end up going there no matter what happens, alright?" I say a bit pained about their cryptic nature. The two girls began talking again as they faced me as Justine moved her arm towards the door...

"That... may be the case for you. You seem lost, and yet, I have a feeling that this adventure you'll be embarking will change you for the better." "Even if this hacker of yours can't be trusted, and even though you don't require our own services, the least we can do is provide you with someone who can steer you on the right track. That way, you can still have your adventure, and we'll be out of your hair forever." I got confused thinking that they might send out something strange... "Does this someone have a long nose?"

"No." Justine quickly and calmly said. "Your power is like the trickster's, but it's not entirely accurate to his own power." Caroline added. "While he has the ability to call to the Shadows and make them his own, you can only use a fraction of your true power through the Persona Hercules." "And since Justine and I can't be of any use to you, we'll just give you someone who can do something about you." "Think of him as your servant, he'll accompany you during your visits into the altered Metaverse, but he'll only appear for you when you are alone."

"That's not creepy at all... but what can he do?" I asked the two as Caroline fills me in on how he's going to help me: "Well it's simple. While we execute other Personas and turn them into stronger Personas, the servant will provide special skill cards that give your Persona new skills you'll need in battle." "But to gain access to these skill cards, you must've already gotten rid of a technique that you absorbed from an enemy Shadow. He will keep every skill you have archived and you can use them whenever you wish." Justine said stating the fact.

"Basically, he's like your personal butler, but that doesn't mean he'll help you with everything, just anything that relates to your Persona." Caroline says while I scratched my head. "For instance, like what?" I asked Justine, she's calmer, but even she couldn't help but frown upon me saying that: "You can use the aforementioned skill cards, summon Shadows to battle and obtain their power, and through his guidance, you will learn anything important you need to remember about the Cognitive World. If you stick to your confidants, then you'll gain new experiences all the time."

"Huh. That actually sounds kinda neat." I say a bit wowed since a personal butler might be just what we needed for navigating future Palaces. Caroline looks at me again as she clearly doesn't want me to abuse this opportunity: "Don't expect him to do everything you want him to do, not even he knows why there's a second Mementos, so he's not exactly a 'how to do' book." "Although he'll be guiding you throughout your adventures, unlike us, he can't enter the real world. So expect him to arrive at the next Palace you'll visit."

"Okay! What about you guys?" I ask absentmindedly as I was too distracted with thoughts of me having a personal butler. Caroline then says with scorn: "Oh, we know exactly what to do..." "You've said it yourself: 'Leave me alone, and let me do my job.' Our services will no longer be available to you. You've lost your chance at rehabilitation, so this will be our parting gift." Justine grieved, oh man... I didn't mean to make them upset or anything, I was just too afraid to trust something in my dreams, but now that it's real, their emotions hit harder than they did before...

"At least you have that worthless servant, that'll remind you how much you could've helped us back then! You were even going to be the trickster for all I know!" Caroline lashed out in anger as I stood there a bit afraid and worrisome: "H-Hey, wai-" "But alas, we overestimated you. You were never up to the challenge back then, and your fear prevented you from becoming the true chosen one. Perhaps it was never meant to be..." Justine said as she reached for the doorknob on the big blue door.

"I hope you're happy with yourself! Besides, we have business of our own to take care of Yumasu, so if you don't mind, let's never meet up again. If you are going to be this stupid about the Cognitive World, then I hope you rot in your cell for all eternity inmate!" Caroline said as she entered the door and I stood there shocked at her anger: "You didn't have to get that angry at me! I-I never thought you two were actually real!"

"We won't be real for much longer. I can understand her rage, and deep down inside, I felt anger for you as well. You were too afraid to do what was right back then, and when we offered you a second chance, you rejected it in favor of a mortal who stole the power to rebel for himself. Do you not understand why we wanted to help you? Sure our methods seemed a bit cryptic to you, but even if you had gone along with our plan, you wouldn't have lasted long down that path. The reason we gave you the servant was because he too felt unsure of our motives for quite a while. This is our last request to you, and we cannot take no for an answer anymore. As the servant helps you on your journey, remember to always help him too, he needs it. And although we will never meet again, I still wished that you've gotten to know our master better. He was planning to promise a great reward to the trickster if things went his way, but I guess the baton had been passed to someone else. And as warden of the Velvet Room, it is my duty to make sure his rehabilitation runs smoothly. Farewell, Hakaru Yumasu..."

And just like that, she entered the blue door as it shut on its own and disappeared forever. I can't believe it, was this really my last encounter with the Velvet Room girls? I really didn't want them to send me on a guilt trip, but they did and now I'm starting to feel sorry for them... "Hey Harry! Your order is getting cold!!" It was Jin'ichi, he wanted me to come in to eat. I mean, I want to come in and celebrate, but if the Velvet Room is really gone... But then again, I never miss the opportunity to have fun, so what the heck? I'll probably think about the Velvet Room again when I meet the butler, but that's like a week from now, I have more important things to take care of...

And so, from this day on, my goal became clear: I will help the world become a safer place to live, while simultaneously helping people out both weak and powerful. The weak deserve all the pity in the world, but even the worst people deserve a second chance. This is the game of life I'm playing, and I intend to stick to it until the very end.

My name is Hakaru Yumasu, and I am a Phantom Crusader.


	9. Chapter 1 (Epilogue): Aftermath

**(T.A.K.E.Y.O.S.H.I)**

I couldn't believe that we actually saved Monigami from being his dirty self! I felt sympathy for my own enemy, I didn't even feel like killing him after the pep talk everyone gave me, without them, I'll be feeling like a criminal. But I guess without me, they couldn't have pulled off the heist or even told Monigami that bullying was a bad idea. I still feel kinda bad for leaving behind Doll-Hakaru, but that's okay. If everyone else has my back, I'll have theirs! I'll never forget Doll-Hakaru, but we weren't going to let that upset me!

So we decided to hit Big Bang Burger as a celebration for all things right in this world. It's this fast-food place where we go to eat giant burgers and stuff, isn't that amazing? My friends caught wind of Monigami confessing his crimes to his own parents, and they came with our big group as we got to know each other better, except for Naruki, he stayed at the clubhouse for some reason. We chowed down on burgers and Akiyo ate a salad as I introduced the crew!

"Oh you guys are going to love my little club, Reo and Yuki, this is Hakaru, Jin'ichi and Akiyo." "I'm assuming that Yuki is the smart one?" Hakaru guessed. "Exactly Hakaru. My real name is Yuki Amadoe and here's Reo Cooper, an ex-bully." "Howdy." Reo went straight back to eating as Jin'ichi was smiling for having friends all my own: "Wow, you have quite the team you've got going here." "Oh I'm so proud of my little child, your friends are truly incredible!" Akiyo says delightfully.

"Y'know, I've always wondered why you hang with these guys." Yuki says a bit puzzled. "Yeah, are you saying that we aren't as special as they are?" Reo said pointing at himself. "I don't know why you want to hang with a coward of a brother-" I interrupt Junko because I knew Hakaru's weak spot! "Shh! He hates being called a coward…"

"Huh? I didn't know that!" Junko sounded surprised, she's been with him for so long, but she never knew Hakaru was a coward? That's awkward… "Don't worry Junko, you were only trying to impress yourself, I guess…" Hakaru was blushing and scratching his head.

"You still haven't answered my question, why are you hanging with these guys?" Yuki asked. "Well, they sorta roped me into the affairs of their job…" I answered. "What job?" Reo was getting suspicious, and I couldn't expose my secret identity as Scalawag yet: "A job as an official member of the Phantom Thieves… fan club!"

"You run a fan club of Phantom Thieves?" Junko asked her brother, who was still embarrassed: "Well kinda… I've never actually seen them in action, but I know what they can do!" "What the heck are Phantom Thieves?" Reo asked. "This question even boggles my mind…" Yuki tried thinking about it, but to no avail. They don't know who the Phantom Thieves are? In that case…

"Oh you guys will love em! They are super fantastic based on what I've heard about them!" And so, we spent the rest of the hangout talking about the Phantom Thieves and how cool they are!

Nobody told my friends anything to give us away, but we had good times all around! It's such a pity everyone else will be busy next week, including myself. I still have some valuable time to catch up with my friends, and Junko! I have cards to trade, games to finish, and more training to do! With my school out for the summer, maybe I'll find love with Junko somehow.

My name is Takeyoshi Winslow, I'm only eight years old when I started the Phantom Crusaders. Being on that team has really changed me for the better, it's made me learn things I've never learned before. All of a sudden, I'm starting to act like a responsible adult! My knowledge keeps growing as I felt that being dragged into someone else's job was the best thing that's ever happened to me.

I can't wait for the next mission to start, I hope that we get to see race cars or dragons and stuff like that! I'm also expanding my knowledge on almost every visual aid I could find, so that way, I won't have to rely on the whale 24/7. If being a Phantom Crusader requires a lot of practice and studying, I guess that I shouldn't give up the real world life entirely. I have my mother and father to back me up, and if things go right for me and my new friends, we could even change the world!

* * *

**(A.K.I.Y.O)**

Those kid friends of Takeyoshi were so cute! I couldn't help but smile the whole time! But alas, all good things must come to an end, as did our first mission as official Phantom Crusaders. You know, when I first joined the Crusaders, at first I just wanted the entire world to be less corrupt. But I guess corruption has its time and place, and if we were to continue without HEX's guidance, then we'd go too fast to worry about the real world around us.

All my life I've been sensing auras of other beings, so when I joined the Crusaders, it made the job for man hunting plenty easier. There are more corrupt beings nowadays, and pure beings are a rare delicacy for me now, but regardless I see the light in corrupt beings proving to myself that not all humans are pure evil.

This reminded me of my first charm crafting lesson I took when I was 13 years old. I learned a special kind of charm that was made from pure emotion. At first, I had my doubts about this, mostly because I didn't feel happy that I made a happiness charm from scratch, but after my corruption, I could truly craft what my heart desired. All the power of corruption and purity, right in the palm of my hand, I couldn't resist this opportunity to give them all away to spread my love and hate in the form of charms.

I guess without the Crusaders, I wouldn't have become pure again in the first place. All this time, I was corrupted, and yet I never paid attention to myself. I couldn't sense my own aura, so I assumed at the time that I was so pure that I never got an aura like the others. I'm far beyond that now, and I'm sure I'm doing what's truly just now. But still, I wanted to make sure that I would be given a second chance by God. He does forgive all you know, and if what Jin'ichi said was right He'll surely understand what I'm doing is for the best...

"Dear God, I am very sorry for all the corruption I've caused... I was corrupt myself and I didn't even know it, and for that I have forsaken you my Lord. All those mindless ramblings I had before I met someone special? They were just me being corrupt. I hope you have the heart to forgive me for what I've done. What I'm doing now is pure justice, nothing else. Bless Hakaru, Jin'ichi, Naruki, Takeyoshi, Reo, Yuki and Hakaru's beautiful sister Junko. And Monigami, he deserves forgiveness too you know... Amen."

I am very religious, I believe God will lead our team to victory. He smiles upon us whenever we do something right, and frowns whenever we don't follow His orders. What anyone corrupt says about Him is not true in the slightest, that's why I think people like Shido, who's been growing in popularity lately, will say anything about Him to get their way. I don't think He likes people like them very much either, and luckily, ever since I was 5, only I truly know how He works…

He is a loving and gentle God who supports everyone around him, for those who have sinned, He wants to give a second chance. At first, I thought He hated sinners during my period of corruption, which is why the corrupt charms were made. Because I awakened to my own truth, I now know better than to mindlessly judge people based on their auras. I have sworn to never use any of the 13 corrupt charms again until the day I've died. I'll never even make one of the corrupt charms ever again.

My name is Akiyo Chi. My judgement is no longer important to the world, that is determined by the will of the world. As soon as HEX gives us our next mission, I'll do my very best to help others in my own special way. But for now, I rest easy knowing that while others are busy with school life, I have my own job to take care of. I also take some time out of my work so that I can take a look at some cognitive science in my spare time.

The more I learn about the human mind, the more I want to help others become the best they can ever be. As long as I hope for the future for the Phantom Crusaders, I'll happily stay in the real world once more, so I won't forget all the fun I've had with my first ever friends.

* * *

**(J.I.N.I.C.H.I)**

Damn, who would've thought a nice guy like Harry could lead to me eventually finding the truth about my mother. I'll never forget the smile her doll made at me as she truly recovered from her mental state. I don't know why she smiled, or why the dolls agreed to rebel against Monigami, I guess as we were fighting, his paranoia and fears started to spring up again. Turns out his own little collection turned on him, and he took the message the other self told him too hard.

But still, being a Phantom Crusader was pretty much the craziest thing that has ever happened to me. I got to lash out against things besides regular humans, I can build and tear up whatever I want in there, and there's no problem being someone who disrespects the rules. Although I have to admit, the alcoholic foods I didn't see coming, but hey, you win some you lose some.

I was chowing down on my meat as fast as I could, while saving some food on my plate for Naruki, when I heard the doorbell ring. Kaito says he'll deal with this as I keep chowing down. I couldn't help but look as he found the parents of little Monigami. They seem taller than my dad, but that's because my dad is short. They look regretful about something, which was way different from their obsessive attitude, that's when I knew: We got em.

"Huh? It's the Peroskis? What are you doing around these parts? Ria is gone because of your son, are you aware of that? Have you come here to arrest me too?" Yep, my dad's still pretty stiff from losing his wife, so basically he's doing his best to drive the Peroskis away ever since he witnessed his wife get taken away. But, instead of fighting back, Mr. Peroski had something to say…

"No… that's not the problem. We came here to apologize for the actions of our son." "Huh? Why are you apologizing now? You were the ones who dropped him off, you even ruined my son's life!" "I know. It's just that… earlier in the afternoon, he was crying about something…" The Mrs. said he was crying? That's exactly what Kamoshida did when he fell apart...

"You know how crazy we were to think that Monigami wasn't bad, and how we went nuts trying to distract him from the incident…?" Said the father. "You mean the captured liger incident? Don't worry about that, he's in safe hands now." said Kaito, winking at me, I winked back for kicks.

"Yeah… for the longest time we've been trying to keep Monigami happy by distracting him from the crimes I did." The father said grieved. "But, just a while ago, it turns out we made him too pampered." Said the Mrs.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaito asked. "He was crying as he told us everything he did to his babysitters and the students at his school. It turns out our actions made him into a spoiled brat…" The father said in pain. That means it definitely worked, I don't want to ruin this moment, so I keep my mouth shut.

"Really? So all of that guilt mixed with endless pleasure wasn't the best combination?" Kaito shrugged. "Yes, he's in a timeout now, but all we really wanted was for him to be safe…" The Mrs. started crying herself, she loved him the most, because what mother doesn't, and she couldn't handle the pressure of her efforts being for nothing.

"All we wanted was for him to forget my time with those bounty hunters, but apparently he never forgot, and it was my idea to take the baby with me! I just couldn't leave him home alone when he was so young, I thought if I took him with me, he would pick up a few things to defend himself…" Now the father looked regretful.

"But all he got were bad things… we didn't have to argue because we knew we both messed up!" The mother said in tears. "We are so sorry about your wife, can you ever forgive us…?" I would Mr Peroski, but I don't think you should've messed with a kind guy like Kaito...

"I don't know, you guys raised that child to be like this… I guess I will forgive you, but please never come here again." But nevertheless, he forgives them anyway. That's what I like about him, he's always so positive even when he knows someone did wrong.

"Understood." The father nodded. "I hope your son's doing okay, it must've been hard losing his mother like that…" The mother felt blue as she wiped a few tears away. "Oh, I can assure you that he's doing superb right now! It feels like she never left us now that my son's the tough guy!" Kaito smiled, you got that right pops, I am the tough guy.

"Ria was always a tough girl in her class wasn't she?" "Yeah Mr Peroski, back when she was his age, but I guess all that toughness must've rubbed off on him. Have a good day! And if I see your son again I'll spank him." "Oh trust me, you won't, we'll make sure of it…" The mother says with the best of intentions, I'm not taking it the wrong way, so my guess is he won't get any more babysitters from now on.

But damn, my mother was that tough in her youth? I asked my dad about it just a few moments later, and judging from his point of view, and the scrapbook I salvaged in an old book pile, she was apparently so rough on the edges that she was forced to be homeschooled during her youth.

Damn, I never thought my mother was so aggressive in her youth, as a matter of fact, I've never thought of my mother so much before now. All of this thinking was especially good for me, but I won't soften up, no, quite the opposite actually. Now that I knew my mother was this fierce, I will live on as the toughest man she wanted to be. And it was all thanks to Harry, he may be a bit of a fraidy cat but still, he's the nicest guy one could ask for.

They call me Jin'ichi Sumula, son of Kaito and Ria. I may be just a psycho on the outside, but as long as I hold Takeyoshi's baseball cap on my head, I'll be glad to help Harry through a steady path in a not so steady world. It's the least I could do after he saved me from the depths of despair. Because if I know anyone who is going to lead us to victory, it's my number one best bud Harry.

Oh yeah, while the others are worried about studying for exams, I'll personality randomly guess, I'll take this spare study time to help dad fix machines. I wore a worker's orange jumpsuit so nobody knows it's me, and if they spread more rumors about me, that's fine. I'll just bounce back and tell anyone picking on me that if they think they can poke the bear, you'd be surprised to know that this bear skipped hibernation.

* * *

**(N.A.R.U.K.I)**

I've got to say, I've never thought someone like a coward, a punk, a holy woman, and a child could teach me so much about life. When I first started out as a wildcat, I thought I wasn't cut for the harsh reality of mankind, but man did that 'other world' give me a slap in the face! I'm now convinced that I died and lived on as a muscular cat, but when I turned back to normal and everyone could understand me then, I then thought I was dreaming like crazy!

Every moment from then on felt so real, I was convinced I was hallucinating. But it was real, and now I wish I could turn into that muscle-bound cat again. And let me tell you something, I am not going to get used to turning into a monster truck every dang mission we go on. But, if it beats doing nothing 24/7, I still do that in my spare time, I'll do it for the love of it.

I sleep like all the time nowadays, there's no annoying kids, nobody to piss me off, and most importantly, no millionaires. By now I've gotten sick of them, so I sleep as I endlessly dream my cares away until the loser club wakes me up for something. I now eat once a day, drink thrice a day, and then occasionally go to the litter box Jin'ichi brought over. It's no different than the way I was living before, only without anyone to push me around.

I'm stuck at the clubhouse until the next mission anyways, if I make too much noise then people will think I exist. Then again, Jin'ichi seems to be hard at work most of the time making some quality of life improvements to the clubhouse. He's a nice guy, despite his cocky attitude, I have to say he's not too bad of an owner to me. I kinda like this new life I was dragged into.

And so, I am apparently named Liger, what a stupid name. I could've gone with 'Rick' or 'Deathstone', but no, these guys picked the most generic name for me and now I'm stuck with it. Luckily they only call me by my real name when I'm normal, or only occasionally in the Cognitive World, but hey, if these guys know what the fuck are we doing, I guess I'll tag along. But for now, I might as well get back to that dream I had about me wearing a bow tie and accepting awards. Goodnight.

* * *

**(H.A.K.A.R.U)**

Man, I never felt so good about myself in my life. I just helped save both the innocent and the dangerous from disaster, and this warm feeling in my heart won't go away. But I need to bring myself back to reality: Next week is the big exams week and I can't screw this up.

I knew exactly how to bring myself back too, and it involves a nice trip on a train. It was almost night-time when my dad works, so I took my sister to the coffee shop Akira Kurusu told me about. You may think it was just a coffee shop, but I heard from dad that he comes here to drink the pain of a long night away in the morning after work. I also have to let Akria know about the Phantom Thieves and how awesome their lives must be.

We opened the door as we heard the bell ring from inside. We saw the nice brown interior complete with a TV, a bunch of wooden seats by the bar and the booths, it's even got that old-fashioned café feel to it. One sniff of the place and I smell curry and coffee ready for human consumption. My sister was like 'Whoa…' like when we first moved in, but I stood there accomplished of my actions, and regretful for some of them.

Junko and I scored seats for ourselves and to our surprise, Akria was tending to the coffee shop all by himself! There's also a black cat who looked very cute to my sister, but I sat down on one side and my sister sat down at another as we prepared to take our order. I picked up some pocket change from Monigami's mansion, and a couple of treasure chests I opened there, so naturally I could afford all this.

"Welcome to Leblanc, can I-huh? Hakaru Yumasu, this is your second visit isn't it?" Akira said as he looked at me like I was a regular. "Second visit?" my sister wondered. "I went there with my dad one time when he had the day off, and he treated me to some of the best curry and coffee money could buy." I told her as she sprang to life, like I've said the magic word: "Curry! I'll take curry!" "Just give me the vanilla and I'll be good to go." I say scratching my head as my sister bounced in her seat.

"Coming right up. I'm assuming that this is your sister?" Akira asks. "More than that, I'm his special partner for cheering him up when he pours his heart out." She says overconfident as I just get embarrassed as usual: "Yep. That's her alright. Oh, and by the way, have you ever heard of the Phantom Thieves?" I've always wanted to ask Akira that, and now seemed like a good time to spring it on him.

"Can't say I have." Akira shrugged like he knew them, but just didn't want to bring up a conversation. "Takeyoshi told me that the Phantom Thieves are superheroes! They go around changing people's hearts and stealing desires, whatever that means…" What the!? My sister just flat out told him who they were, and he seemed surprised!? Apparently, I think Akira had some history with the Phantom Thieves, because right after he heard that, he went straight back to work...

"Oh. Well I'm sure that whoever these superheroes are, they seem to know what to do. If anything, I feel like these so-called Phantom Thieves just might be the heroes that society needs." You can say that again, which reminded me of another question I wanted to ask: "Hey Akira, how did you feel when Kamoshida almost expelled you, Ryuji and Mishima?"

"I pretty much hated the guy. He claims he's the king of his own castle, treating everyone like slaves and abusing other kids." Akira pretty much summed up what Jin'ichi knew about him, and this drove me to complain: "And did you see what he did to Shiho, I mean oh my God, this guy got what was coming to him!" "Big bro, what happened to Shiho?" "If I told you, you would wake the neighbors!" Junko quickly understood that Shio almost died, judging from my tone of voice and my sad attitude from the day I came back from that… but she quickly ignored it and did a coloring page. That's my girl...

"Yeah, and because of this, and Ryuji almost trying to kill Kamoshida again, the pervert almost expelled us. We weren't entirely sure if we were going to make it, but then a miracle came out of the shadows. The Phantom Thieves had their first target, Kamoshida, and they struck him down just before the deadline. And this act of heroism inspired Mishima-san to create a website dedicated to the Phantom Thieves." I knew Akira was happy about this, but one thing caught our eye: "They have a website!?" Me and my sister cried out.

"It's more like a Phansite, literally. You should check it out when you have the time. Here's your vanilla and your sister's curry. Shouldn't you two kids take it to go?" I drank the vanilla coffee a bit, and boy did it taste great, and Junko ate a bit of the curry as she told me about tonight's plan: "Good idea! It's getting real late anyway, we're going to miss out on reruns of Circus Fantasy!"

"Aw come on sis! We never eat out together on our own." "You just ate burgers this afternoon with me, that still counts." Junko may be a little rambunctious, but she has a good point, this was technically the second time we went to a restaurant to eat today, and apparently we had to get back before we got too tired. "Thank you, I'll tell Sojiro Sakura about your visit." Akira waved as I took out my leather wallet ready to pay for the curry and the coffee.

I tipped Akira, and we went back home just in time for a rerun of the classical circus episode. For some reason, either because of the coffee or my sister getting overwhelmed with spice, this episode inspires me to do what's right! If these guys can do anything their way, I can do anything in my own way. Fortunately for me, the coffee gave me enough energy to work on my studying for exams. I was only able to work for about an hour or two before I got tired and went to bed.

My dreams went crazy with the thoughts of me becoming a Phantom Thief unlike any other. All my life, everyone thought I was a coward who couldn't do anything right, and for a while I accepted that I was. But now that I have a new secret identity to call my own, I'll take whatever I can to be a hero to all the world! As Hero, I've managed to keep everyone out of danger for nearly the entire time I was there! As I begin my exams for next week, my mind almost wandered into dreamland again before Jin'ichi woke me up with a snap of his fingers.

My name is Hakaru Yumasu, AKA Hero! And I intend on protecting the world with all my might! Ordinary student by day, super powered hero by night, it's a cycle I can't wait to begin! The Phantom Thieves have definitely dealt with big stuff like this for a while, and even if I had my doubts about all this at first, I couldn't help but feel excited for the future of my life! Criminals beware, as long as the Phantom Crusaders are around, we'll do everything we can to protect those who can't protect themselves!

**_End of Chapter 1._**


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